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/nbunsell's 

Ibistorical  Series. 

Bo.  18. 


SCHL02ER. 


.^> 


y 


LETTERS 


OF 


BRUNSWICK  AND  HESSIAN  OFFICHRS 


DURING  THE 


AMERICAN    REVOLUTION 


TRANSLATED   BY 
WIJJJAM     I..    ST()\f{. 

Author  of '•'•  The  Life  and  Times  of  Sir  IVilliaiii  Johnson,  Bart.,'^  "Memoirs  of 

General  and  Madame  Riedesel^''  "  History  of  New  York  CityC''  "  Life  and 

Writings  of  Col.  William   L.  Stone,'' "  Sir  John  Johnson'' s 

Orderly  Book^^  etc.,  etc. 

(ASSISTED  BY  AUGUST  HUND.) 


"  Far  from  me  and  from  my  friends  be  such  frigid  philosophy  as  may  conduct  us 
indifferent  and  unmoved  over  any  ground  which  has  been  dignitieu  by  wisdom,  bravery, 
or  virtue.  That  man  is  little  to  be  envied  whose  patriotism  would  not  gain  force  upon 
the  plain  of  Marathon,  or  whose  piety  would  not  grow  wanner  among  the  ruins  of  lona." 
—Dr.  Johnson,  in  his  "  Tour  of  the  Hebrides.^'' 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. : 

JOKI.     Mli.N^Kl.l,'>    SONS,     I'llU.r-IIKKS. 
1891. 


^/■^^■^,60L 


TO    THE    MEMORY 

OK  THE  I.ATE 

PARKER     HAN  DY, 

THE    EMINENT    BANKER. 

OP 

NEW  YORK  CITY, 

WHOSE   PATRIOTIC   SERVICES,  DURING  THE  LATE  CIVIL  WAR,  STRENGTHENED 

THE  CREDIT  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT,  AND  THUS  CONTRIBUTED  TO 

PRESERVE    THE    REPUBLIC   WHICH    THE    BLOOD  OF 

OUR   FOREFATHERS  HAD  ESTABLISHED, 


XTbis  iDolume 


IS    AFFECTIONATELY    INSCRIBED 

BV 

THE  TRANSLATOR. 


PREFACE. 


In  1776,  Professor  August  Ludwig  Schlozer,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Gottingen,  established  a  monthly  magazine  called 
**  Schlozer's  Letter  Exchange,"  having  for  one  of  its  objects 
the  publication  of  private  letters  written  by  oflficers  to  their 
relatives  and  friends  in  Germany,  from  those  portions  of 
the  world  then  engaged  in  war.  This  publication  was 
continued  through  the  year  1782,  and  consequently  con- 
tains many  letters  of  the  most  interesting  character  from 
Hessian  and  Brunswick  military  men  who  were  serving  on 
the  British  side  during  the  Revolutionary  War;  and  also 
one  from  Baron  Steuben  on  his  first  arrival  in  America, 
giving  a  detailed  account  of  his  reception  by  the  authori- 
ties at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  later  by  Washington,  the 
military  formation  of  the  American  troops,  and  his  suc- 
cessful efforts  in  disciplining  the  Continental  army.  These 
letters  are  from  Staunton,  Va.  (whither  a  portion  of  the 
**  Convention  Troops  "  were  sent),  Philadelphia,  Savannah, 
New-Port,  Cambridge,  Boston,  New  York,  Brookland  (Brook- 
lyn), different  parts  of  New  Elngland,  and  Canada.     They 


VI 


Preface. 


contain  much  new  and  valuable  information  regarding 
the  habits  and  customs  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  places 
whence  they  were  written ;  minute  descriptions  of  dif- 
ferent personages,  such  as  Gates,  Hancock,  Carleton,  St. 
Luc,  and  others ;  and  also  the  best  account  extant  of  the 
march  of  the  "  Convention  Troops  "  from  Saratoga  through 
New-England  to  Cambridge.  The  letter  from  New-England 
contains  a  graphic  description  of  the  costumes  and  general 
appearance  of  the  Continentals  and  militia, — to  which  the 
attention  of  the  reader  is  especially  called, — and  a  narrative 
of  the  Battles  of  Saratoga  by  an  eye-witness,  which  is  by 
far  the  best  we  have  yet  had  ;  also,  a  very  realistic  account 
of  the  trial  of  MAjor  Henley  and  the  part  taken  in  it  by 
Burgoyne — the  only  one  written  from  a  German  standpoint. 

This  work  was  first  brought  to  my  notice  by  Mr.  Edward 
J.  Lowell,  the  author  of  the  "  Hessians  in  the  American 
Revolution."  "  I  do  not  think,"  writes  Mr.  Lowell,  "  of  any 
printed  collection  concerning  the  Revolution  which  so  well 
deserves  to  be  translated.  The  correspondent  with  Bur- 
goyne's  army  was  an  observant  and  lively  writer."  Through 
the  kindness  of  Fraulien  Agnes  Sack,  of  Brunswick,  Germany, 
I  procured  a  set  of  the  first  edition  of  this  rare  publication, 
and  now  present  to  the  reader,  in  an  English  dress,  those 
letters  which  relate  to  our  Revolution. 

As  I  said  in  my  Preface  to  Pausclts  Journal,  there  are 
two  ways  of  translating.  One  is  to  paraphrase  the  original ; 
the  other  is  to  give  the  text  literally.  The  first  method 
admits  of  an  elegant  rendering  by  which  the  different 
shades  of  an  author's  meaning  are  often  sacrificed  to  beauty 


Preface. 


Vll 


t 


of  diction :  the  second,  at  the  expense  of  style,  aims  to 
give  clearly  the  writer's  ideas.  This  last  is  the  plan  I  have 
adopted  in  this  translation,  believing  that  the  reader  would 
prefer  to  know  just  what  the  correspondents  intended  to 
convey. 

Among  those  who  have  assisted  me  by  their  counsel  and 
suggestions,  I  have  particularly  to  mention  and  thank  Dr. 
Kingsford,  author  of  the  latest  history  of  Canada ;  Mr.  Fred. 
C.  Wiirtele,  Librarian  of  the  Quebec  Historical  Society ;  Mr. 
J.  G.  Rosengarten,  the  author  of  the  "German  Soldier  in 
the  Wars  of  the  United  States;"  Professor  Carl  Meyer,  of 
Rutgers  College ;  Mr.  S.  O.  Lee,  of  Huntington,  L.  L  ;  and 
Mr.  Bauman  L.  Belden,  of  Elizabeth,  N.  J.  Mr.  August 
Hund,  an  accomplished  scholar  and  himself  a  German,  has 
also  rendered  so  much  aid  in  this  translation,  that  I  have 
thought  it  only  just  to  associate  his  name  with  mine  on  the 
title-page.     The  annotations,  of  course,  are  my  own. 

Believing,  moreover,  that  it  would  afford  pleasure  to  my 
subscribers,  I  have  given,  by  way  of  introduction,  a  sketch 
of  Schlozer — the  materials  for  which  have  been  gathered 
from  the  "  Life  of  August  Ludwig  Schlozer,"  written  by  his 
eldest  son.  Christian  von  Schlozer,  and  published  at  Leipsic, 
in  1828.  For  the  use  of  this  work,  which,  long  out  of  print, 
is  seldom  if  ever  met  with,  I  am  again  indebted  to  the  cour- 
tesy of  my  friend  Mr.  Edward  J.  Lowell. 

William  L.  Stone. 

Jersey  City  Heights,  June,  1891. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Sketch  of  Schlozer, 9 

LETTERS  RELATING  TO  THE  CONVENTION 

TROOPS. 

Letter  from  Canada   by  a  German  Staff-officer,  Nov.  2, 

1776 13 

Letter  relating  to  the  First  Campaign  of   the  Brunswick- 

ers  in  Canada,  Nov.  3,  1776, 38 

Private  Letter  from  Canada,  Mch.  9 — Apr.  20,  1777,  .  58 
Letter  from  Castle-Town,  July  27,  1777,  ...  84 
Letter  from  the  Camp  at   Duer's   House,  by  a  Native  of 

Brunswick   serving   in   Burgoyne's   Army,   dated    at 

Fort  Edward,  Aug.  7,  1777,  .....  96 
Private    Letter  from  New  England,  Nov.  15,  1777 — Oct. 

10,  1778,  dated  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Nov.  15,  1777,  106 

Letter  from  a  General  Officer  in  the  Barracks  near  Boston, 

Feb.  5,  1778, 172 

Letters  from  a  Brunswick  Officer,  dated  at  the  Camp  near 

Boston  in  New  England,  Oct.  10,  1778,  .  .  .  174 
Letter  from  Staunton,  Va.,  June  I,  1779,        .         .         .         178 

MISCELLANEOUS  LETTERS  RELATING  TO 
THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION. 

Letter  from  a   Hessian  Chaplain,  Brookland,  near  New 

York,  Sept.  7,  1776, 185 

ix 


Table  of  Contents. 


PAGE 

Description  of  New  York,  Long  and  Staten  Islands,  in 

1776 188 

Letter  from  Rhode  Island,  Jan  24,  1777,         .        .         .         203 
Letter  from  a  Field  Chaplain,  New  York  Island,  Dec.  7, 

i777> 212 

Description  of  the  Country  around  Philadelphia  in  1778, 

Jan.  18,  1778, .  214 

Letter  from  Philadelphia,   May  7,  1778,        .         .         .  221 

Description  of  Philadelphia,  its  People  etc.,  June  2, 1778  224 

Letter  from  Rhode  Island,  Sept.  8,  1778,     .        .         .  228 

Letter  from  Savannah,  Jan,  16,  1779,    .        .        .        .  230 
Letter   from  Maj.-Gen.  Baron  Steuben,  to  Privy  Coun- 
cillor  Baron  de  Frank,  in    Hechingen.     In  Camp  at 

Nc'v  Winsor  on  the  North   River,  July  4,  1779,      .  339 

APPENDIX. 

Sketch  of  the  Recollet  Convent  in  Quebec,  .        ,        .        256 
Index  and  Errata, 259. 


\ 


Bil 


■^ 


I  |P'i; 


SKETCH  OF  SCHLOZER. 


August  Ludwig  Schlozer  was,  perhaps,  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  scholars  and  historians  of  his 
time.  His  father  was  a  country  clergyman  at  Yagg- 
stadt,  a  village  in  Hohenlohe-Kirchberg,  where  his 
only  son,  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch,  was  born, 
July  5th,  1735.  His  father  dying  when  he  was  five 
years  old,  his  education  was  taken  in  charge  by  his 
grandfather,  who  sent  him  to  school  at  Langenburg. 
He  was  an  exceedingly  precocious  lad,  being  consid- 
ered what  is  now  terme*^  an  "infant  prodigy,"  and  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years  was  an  accomplished  Latin 
scholar.  From  Langenburg  he  went  to  Wertheim, 
residing  in  the  family  of  his  eldest  sister,  the  wife  of 
the  pastor  of  the  town,  Schulz  (father  of  the  cele- 
brated Oriental  scholar  of  that  name),  until  the  autumn 
of  175 1  ;  when,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  erttered  the 
University  of  Wittenberg,  famous  not   only   for   its 

own  sake,  but  for  having  been  the  place  at  which,  in 

9 


TO 


Sketch  of  Schlozer. 


i  ,1 


151 7,  the  Reformation  under  Martin  Luther  took  its 
rise.  Here  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1754 — 
taking,  meanwhile,  high  rank  as  a  debater — when  he 
went  to  the  University  of  Gottingen,  and  pursued  his 
studies  at  that  seat  of  learning  until  the  following 
year,  when  he  engaged  himself  as  a  teacher  at  Stock- 
holm. Two  years  afterward  he  removed  to  Upsala 
in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  valuable  library  at 
that  celebrated  university  ;  and  here  he  seems  to  have 
completed  his  collegiate  course.  Nor,  had  he  long 
come  to  maturity  when  his  learning  was  sought  by 
various  universities  of  prominence.  During  his  life- 
time he  filled  successively  the  chairs  of  Pclitical  Econ- 
omy and  Diplomacy  in  the  Imperial  Uiiversity  of 
Moscow,  Polite  Letters  and  the  Fine  Arts  at  St. 
Petersburg  and  Mittau,  and  Polite  Letters  at  the 
University  of  Gottingen.  He  also  held  at  Gottingen 
the  position  of  President  of  the  Philosophical  Faculty 
and  Doctor  of  Laws  and  Jurisprudence,  having  been 
the  first  Protestant  elected  in  that  university  to  the 
latter  honor.  He  was  also  a  great  traveller  ;  and  his 
journeys  through  Russia,  Sweden,  Italy,  and  France 
contributed,  together  with  the  fame  of  his  scholarly  at 
tainmentSsto  widen  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance,  and 
thus  make  his  name  still  more  known. 

It  was  while  Professor  at  Gottingen  that  his  Brief- 


Sketch  of  Schlozer. 


II 


wechsel  (from  which  the  letters  in  this  volume  are 
taken)  was  published — the  origin  of  which  was  as  fol- 
lows :  Having  a  very  extensive  acquaintance  with  men 
of  letters,  with  whom  he  was  in  constant  correspond- 
ence, he  conceived  the  idea  of  publishing  from  time  to 
time  a  portion  of  these,  so  that  the  valuable  news  they 
contained  regarding  the  social,  political,  and  military 
events  then  occurring  in  different  parts  of  the  world 
might  be  made  accessible  to  the  public.  A  number 
of  educated  and  talented  Hanoverian,  Brunswick  and 
Hessian  officers,  then  serving  in  America,  also  volun- 
teered to  aid  him  in  this  work  ;  and  the  result  was  his 
Briefwechsel,  at  least  eight  numbers  of  which  were 
issued  yearly.  The  idea  took  like  wild-fire  ;  and,  with- 
in a  very  short  time,  the  circulation  of  the  magazine 
had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  even  at  the  very 
low  price  at  which  it  was  sold,  viz.,  two  gute  Groschen 
(two  cents  in  our  money),  it  brought  its  editor  an  in- 
come of  three  thousand  rix-dollars — an  income  from 
literature  alone  which,  with  the  exception  of  Kotzc- 
bue  and  Goethe,  had  seldom  been  exceeded  by  any 
German  writer  at  that  time. 

Physi  "ally,  Schlozer  was  a  little  above  the  average 
height,  very  thin,  and,  in  the  early  part  of  his  life, 
sickly-looking  though  of  an  iron  constitution, — and 
his  features,  notwithstanding  his  massive  brow,  repel- 


:j  i 


iii;i 


\n 


12 


Sketch  of  Schlozer. 


lent,  rather  than  attractive.  Morally,  he  was  of  an  in- 
corruptible integrity,  of  great  conscientiousness,  very 
frank  and  open,  and  grateful  for  any  attention.  In 
temperament,  he  was,  at  the  same  time,  both  choleric 
and  melancholy,  and  two  of  his  salient  traits  were  his 
intense  loyalty  to  his  government,  and  his  anxiety  to 
perform  faithfully  his  duties  as  a  citizen.  We  are 
further  told  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and 
industry.  This  will  residily  be  believed  when  it  is 
learned  that,  in  addition  to  his  didactic  duties,  he 
found  time  to  write  no  less  than  sixty-eight  abstruse 
and  voluminous  works,  some  of  which,  on  history  and 
political  ethics,  have,  in  his  own  country,  still  an  au- 
thoritative value. 

•  Upon  his  death,  which  was  caused  by  apoplexy  on 
the  9th  of  September  1809,  his  family  were  the  recipi- 
ents of  many  tokens  of  sympathy,  not  only  from  num- 
erous learned  and  scientific  societies  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  but  from  men  of  high  standing,  and  even 
from  Royalty  itself.  One  of  these  marks  of  respect 
was  a  letter  from  the  Emperor  Alexander  of  Russia, 
in  which,  as  a  particular  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
Schlozer,  he  appointed  his  nephew  vice-consul  of 
Lubeck. 


LETTER  FROM  CANADA.  BY  A  GERMAN 

STAFF-OFFICER. 


m 


Batiscamp,  a  Parish  in  Canada,  Nov.  2,  1776. 

My  dear  Friend  : 

The  whole  of  Canada  contains  but  three  cities,  viz., 
Quebec,  Three  Rivers  and  Montreal — all  of  which  are 
situated  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  All  the  other 
European  settlements  are  divided  into  Parishes  or 
Forts.  These  Parishes  are  so  numerous  that  upwards 
of  seven  thousand  fighting  men  could  be  mustered  in 
a  stretch  of  land  reaching  from  Bgc  Island  (situated 
not  far  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence)  to  Montreal, 
and  farther  south  to  Lake  Champlain. 

A  Parish  is  a  kind  of  village  composed  of  houses 
not  placed  alongside  of  each  other,  but  scattered 
about  at  100,  200,  and  even  600  paces  apart — wood- 
lands often  intervening  between.  You  will,  there- 
fore, readily  see  that  a  Parish  is  generally  several 
leagues  in  extent.*     The  main  road  [highway]  invari- 

*  A  French  league  is  about  two  and  three-quarter  Eng- 
lish miles. 

13 


H 


Letter  from  Canada, 


lilt 


ably  runs  directly  into  them ;  and  from  the  fact  that 
the  houses  are  built  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  one,  in 
passing,  can  take  in  the  entire  vi!'  it  a  glance  ;  and 
should  a  stream  or  a  river  be  situaied  in  the  rear  of  a 
Parish  and  running  toward  it,  you  will  probably  also 
find  houses  built  along  its  banks.  The  houses  are 
invariably  placed  side  by  side  along  the  road  ;  never 
in  the  rear  of  each  other.  Every  habitant  has  his 
fields,  meadows  and  gardens  either  in  front  or  at  the 
rear  of  his  house,  just  as  circumstances  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  ground  will  permit ;  and  he  also  owns  a 
piece  of  woodland  in  the  vicinity.  Every  field  and 
meadow  is  enclosed  by  a  light  fence,  which,  if  neces- 
sary, can  be  shifted  about.  Whoever  has  seen  the  en- 
closed marshy  lands  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bremen 
will  understand  precisely  my  meaning ;  and  indeed, 
take  it  all  in  all,  Canadian  agriculture  has  much  in 
common  with  that  city.  The  fallow  lands  furnish  the 
best  of  pasture  for  cattle,  and  after  a  certain  time, 
develop  into  the  best  of  corn-fields. 

Until  late  in  the  winter,  the  cattle  roam  at  will  either 
about  the  enclosures  or  in  the  woods,  both  day  and 
night.  Utilizing  the  manure  of  cattle  is  unknown  here, 
and,  consequently,  the  straw-crop  is  unusually  poor. 
Those  fields  which  are  to  be  planted  in  the  following 
year  are  ploughed  late  in  the  fall,  and  remain  in  that 
state  during  the  entire  winter. 

In  the  spring,  the  corn-seed  is  sowed,  and  then  the 
field  is  harrowed  by  three  good  harrows.  Very  good 
wheat  is  raised  in   Canada ;  also  considerable  barley 


Letter  from  Canada, 


15 


■y 


and  oats ;  but  summer  and  winter  crops  of  rye  are 
never  cultivated.  Peas,  tares*  and  beans  are  also 
grown  ;  and  in  the  gardens  you  may  find  white  cab- 
bage, white  and  yellow  turnips,  potatoes,  pumpkins, 
cucumbers,  leeks,  onions,  parsley,  and  quite  often 
melons  and  asparagus.  In  the  vicinity  of  Montreal 
winter  fruit  is  good  and  plentiful.  The  poorer  in- 
habitants do  not  bother  themselves  with  the  cultivation 
of  fruit-trees,  because,  in  the  winter,  unless  very  great 
care  is  exercised,  a  large  proportion  of  them  are  liable 
to  die.  I  have  eaten  here  good  apples,  excellent  pears, 
peaches  and  apricots ;  the  latter  fruit,  however,  is  ex- 
ceedingly rare.  Hazel-  and  wall-nuts  [walnuts]  are 
not  to  be  found  ;  but  raspbenies,  and  wild  strawberries 
grow  abundantly  in  the  woods. 

The  breed  of  cattle  raised  in  Canada  is  excellent. 
Every  habitant  has  his  horise,  oxen,  cows,  pigs  and 
sheep ;  and  once  in  a  while — though  very  seldom — 
he  keeps  goats.  The  oxen  weigh  from  300  to  600 
pounds  each,  are  very  fat,  and  the  flavor  of  their  flesh 
is  excellent.  Canada  delivered  to  our  army,  the  cur- 
rent year,  several  thousand  head  of  cattle,  and  yet 
there  appears  to  be  no  scarcity  in  this  respect.  One, 
too,  cannot  wish  for  better  milk  or  butter.  Cheese, 
however,  is  but  seldom  made.  Each  inhabitant  has 
chickens,  turkeys  and  geese  in  plenty.  Tame  ducks 
are  not  to  be  seen,  but  may  be  found  wild  in  large 

*  A  plant  more  common  in  Europe  than  in  Canada,  and 
extensively  cultivated  for  fodder. 


i6 


Letter  front  Canada, 


!',' 


numbers  on  the  rivers  and  streams.  The  same  may 
also  be  said  of  pigeons. 

Thoughout  the  whole  of  Canada  neither  beer  nor 
brandy  is  made.  Rum  is  the  only  liquor  manufactured  ; 
and  the  spruce-beer,  which  is  made  from  the  tender 
sprouts  of  the  spruce-tree,  is  at  first  disgustingly  sweet, 
then  bitter  and  with  a  resinous  taste.  Wine  is  not  so 
very  dear.  A  very  good  so-called  red  wine  {yin  de  Bor- 
deaux)— the  only  French  wine  to  be  had — can  be 
bought  at  wholesale  for  from  8  to  lo  pence  a  bottle. 
Madeira,  Port  and  other  kinds  of  Spanish  wine  can 
also  be  purchased  quite  cheaply.  French  white  \,"ines, 
however,  as  well  as  Burgundy,  Champagne,  Rhine,  and 
all  French  brandies,  are  largely  contraband  goods. 

In  the  centre  of  each  Parish  are  to  be  found  a  church 
and  a  parsonage  ;  and  the  leagues  are  computed  from 
one  church  to  anc  her.  The  houses  of  the  inhabitants 
are  square  and  all  of  the  same  style  of  architecture ; 
the  only  difference  being  that  one,  perhaps,  may  be 
larger  than  another.  When  stone  can  be  had,  the  walls 
of  the  houses  are  built  of  that  material,  and  in  default 
of  that,  of  wood  ;  and  this,  too,  notwithstanding  the 
severe  cold  of  the  winter  months.  Indeed,  I  should 
say  that  less  than  one  twentieth  of  all  the  houses  in 
Canada  are  built  of  stone.  I  have,  as  yet,  seen  no 
stone-quarries  here.  Flint,  brought  from  the  banks  of 
rivers  where  it  has  been  deposited  from  the  tops  of 
mountains  by  the  action  of  frost,  is  the  kind  of  stone 
which  is  used  in  building.  Brick  and  tiles  are  un- 
known in  Canada. 


Letter  from  Canada. 


17 


The  interiors  of  stone  and  wooden  houses  are  as 
like  as  two  peas.  The  foundation  of  a  wooden  house 
consists  of  four  beams,  upon  which  is  placed  the 
scantling.  These  beams  are  laid  in  the  form  of  a  square 
with  the  corners  joined  together.  Smaller  beams  are 
then  nailed  between  the  four  upright  posts,  composing 
the  framework  of  the  house  ;  and  the  chinks  are  filled 
in  with  moss,  small  stones,  mortar  and  lime.  The  out- 
side walls  are  then  covered  with  lime  or  with  boards, 
as  the  case  may  be ;  and,  for  this  reason,  such  a  house 
(if  we  except  the  windows)  generally  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  shed.  Sometimes,  instead  of  covering  the 
outer  walls  vvith  boards,  shingles  are  used,  which  give 
the  house  quite  an  aristocratic  appearance.  In  the 
interior,  the  walls  are  covered  with  smoothly  planed 
boards;  likewise  the  ceiling.  No  lime  [i.e.  plaster]  is 
put  upon  the  walls  as  with  us  at  home. 

All  the  partitions  of  the  house  are  built  with  wooden 
boards.  For  this  reason,  one  will  find  the  three  follow- 
ing inconveniences.  First :  should  any  one  be  walking 
about  the  rooms,  you  will  hear  i*  slight  creaking ; 
secondly  :  should  any  one  be  walking  on  the  floor 
overhead,  the  one  underneath  would  be  in  momentary 
expectation  of  having  him  drop  down  upon  his  head  ; 
and,  thirdly :  should  one  talk,  every  word  can  be 
heard,  either  in  the  next  room  or  in  the  kitchen  !  Take 
it  all  in  all,  however,  the  rooms  are  regularly  built  and 
have  a  well-proportioned  height.  In  order  to  enter 
the  house,  you  must  mount  two  or  three  steps.  In 
every  Parish,  you  will  rarely  find  more  than  two  houses 


i8 


Letter  from  Canada, 


:   ,1 


two  stories  high.  Even  the  houses  of  the  seigneurs 
and  rich  inhabitants  are  seldom  more  than  one  story  in 
height,  and  are  but  a  little  larger  than  those  of  the 
ordinary  inhabitant.  The  vestibule  generally  contains 
the  kitchen  (similar  in  character  to  those  of  most  of 
French  villages)  ;  and  the  hearth  consists  of  a  large 
fireplace  with  two  iron  andirons  capable  of  holding 
half  of  a  tree-trunk.  The  iron  cooking-pots  are  ranged 
about  the  fire.  The  kitchens  are  so  clean  that  they  are 
used  as  a  "  living-room"  until  the  arrival  of  cold  weather. 
The  cooking-utensils,  plates,  bowls,  etc.,  are  of  Eng- 
lish stone-ware  or  delft ;  very  rarely  of  tin.  They  are 
put  in  closets ;  for  large  dressers  or  tables  are  un. 
known.  Instead,  a  small  table,  or  the  floor,  is  used- 
Next  to  the  kitchen  is  a  room  generally  used  as  a 
sleeping-room.  Houses  containing  two  rooms  are 
scarce ;  and  when  they  contain  three  are  considered 
very  genteel.  The  windows  extend  from  the  top  of 
the  ceiling  to  a  short  distance  from  the  floor.  They 
consist  of  two  casements  with  twelve  large  square  panes 
fastened  on  the  outside  with  putty  in  a  wooden  frame. 
Two  bolts,  one  placed  above  and  the  other  below,  are 
used  for  closing  the  windows.  When  these  bolts  are 
withdrawn,  the  windows  always  open  into  the  room. 
Every  room  has  a  fireplace.  At  the  beginning  of 
winter  the  fireplace  is  walled  up ;  and  a  large,  square 
iron  stove  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  the  pipe 
belonging  to  it  leading  into  the  chimney.  As  yet,  I 
have  seen  no  stoves  with  head-pieces.* 

*  Alluding  to  the  stoves  in  Germany,  which  are  generally 
ornamented  with  mythological  and  classical  designs. 


▼«-^  -, 


Letter  from  Canada. 


19 


In  every  room  one  will  find  at  least  one  bed  capable 
of  holding  two  persons.  As  a  rule,  these  beds  have 
a  large  square  canopy,  fastened  to  the  ceiling,  with 
curtains  which  are  generally  drawn  up.  All  bedsteads 
are  square  and  without  posts.  The  best  of  them  have 
a  bed  well  filled  with  straw  nearly  a  foot  in  thickness, 
and  over  which  is  thrown  a  nicely  stuffed  feather-bed. 
For  the  head  is  a  bolster  nearly  a  foot  in  thickness 
{rouleau  is  the  name  given  them  in  the  inns  through- 
out France).  The  bed,  also,  has  two  linen  sheets ; 
and  for  covering  there  are  four  thick  woollen  blankets. 
Furthermore,  every  person  receives  a  pillow  a  yard 
long  by  three  quarters  wide.  You  lie  perfectly  straight 
in  bed  ;  and  I  have  already  acquired  the  art  of  doing 
without  superfluous  bolsters  in  the  future.  As  soon 
as  you  get  out  of  bed,  it  is  made  up  and  covered  with 
a  quilt  of  silesia,  calico  or  wool,  with  the  ends  hanging 
down  over  the  sides.  The  poorest  inhabitant  has  such 
a  covering  for  his  bed  by  day  ;  nor,  indeed,  have  I 
ever  seen  cleaner  beds  in  any  country.  In  the  houses 
of  the  poorer  people  all  the  beds  are  placed  in  one 
room. 

The  Canadian  is  not  bothered  with  unnecessary 
furniture.  Two  pine  tables,  with  their  necessary  ac- 
companiments, eight  wooden  chairs  (never  more)  with 
red  bottoms  and  which  sometimes  have  cushions,  a  few 
pine  closets,  and  seldom  more  than  one  bureau  of  the 
same  wood,  constitute  his  entire  outfit.  Sofas,  settees, 
arm-chairs,  writing-tables,  etc.,  are  unknown.  Coffee 
and  tea  services  of  English  yellow-ware  are  common. 


20 


Letter  from  Canada. 


as  are  other  articles  for  the  table.  I  have  frequently 
seen  ordinary  inhabitants  in  possession  of  several  dozen 
of  silver  spoons,  knives  and  forks,  and  other  silver-ware, 
although  they  may  not  have  been  quite  of  the  latest 
style. 

Neither  will  you  find  any  door  in  the  house  having 
a  lock,  not  even  in  the  houses  of  the  rich.  A  long 
iron  latch  keeps  the  door  closed,  a  bolt  being  used  to 
fasten  it.  It  is  but  seldom  that  you  will  find  a  water- 
closet,  either  in  the  house  or  in  the  yard.  All  roofs, 
even  those  of  churches,  are  covered  with  boards  or 
shingles.  The  houses,  as  well  as  the  barns  and  stables, 
are  free  from  all  fences  or  stockades.  The  stables  are 
built  of  hewn  logs  covered  with  sods,  straw,  or  the 
bark  of  the  birch  ;  and  I  am  astonished  to  find  that 
cattle  can  survive  the  winter  in  these  enclosures. 

The  whole  of  Canada  is  ruled  by  a  Governor  resid- 
ing in  Quebec.  The  present  one  is  Carleton,  who  is 
also  General  of  the  English  Infantry.  He  commands 
the  army  in  Canada,  as  well  as  exercises  an  entire 
supervision  over  the  military  and  civil  government. 
The  army,  as  well  as  the  Canadians,  love  General 
Carleton  dearly —  a  fact  to  be  attributed  to  his  many 
noble  qualities.  No  people  ever  loved  their  ruler  more 
than  the  Canadians  do  theirs,  and  this  may  be  said 
almost  without  an  exception.  The  Canadians,  as  well 
as  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity,  seem  to  belong  to  him 
body  and  soul :  we  are  indebted  to  him  for  having  the 
Indians  (one  thousand  of  whom  are  in  the  army)  on 


I . 


Letter  from  Cufiacia. 


21 


our  side.*  Next  to  the  Governor,  there  is  a  Lieut- 
enant-Governor, who,  however,  has  only  charge  of  the 
police,  the  civil  service,  and  all  financial  matters.  The 
present  Lieutenant-Governor  is  named  Cramahe — also 
an  upright,  disinterested  man,  and  one  universally  be- 
loved. Under  him  there  are  several  counselors,  or 
rather  secretaries,  to  the  Government,  all  of  whom  are 
persons  of  distinction  in  this  vast  territory. 

In  Quebec  is  located  the  chief  tribunal  for  the  deci- 
sion of  all  matters  pertaining  to  civil  and  criminal  law. 
It  is  made  up  of  native-born  Canadians,  and  has  a  Chief 
Justice,  together  with  advisory  counsellors  [associate 
justices]  and  assessors.  In  Montreal  there  is  likewise 
a  judicial  tribunal,  which  in  some  respects,  however, 
ranks  below  that  at  Quebec.  In  the  spring  both  tribu- 
nals send  judges  into  all  the  Parishes  of  Canada  for 
the  purpose  of  trying  all  minor  cases,  and  to  see,  at  the 
same  time,  that  the  law  is  properly  enforced.  The 
more  important  causes  are  tried  before  the  full  tribu- 
nal, in  which  case  the  litigants  must  Iiire  counsel  who 
are  to  be  found  in  Quebec  and  Montreal.     Should  the 


*  Of  General  Carleton — the  ablest  general  by  far  who 
served  in  America — General  Riedesel,  in  a  letter  to  his  wife, 
dated  June  8,  1776,  gives  a  peculiar  picture.  "In  order," 
he  writes,  "  to  get  an  idea  of  his  personal  appearance,  imagine 
the  Abb^  Jerusalem.  The  figure,  face,  M'alk,  and  sound  of 
his  voice  are  just  like  the  Abba's,  and  had  he  the  black  suit 
wig,  one  could  not  discover  the  least  difference."  The  Abbe 
here  mentioned  was  the  tutor  of  the  hereditary  prince  of 
Brunswick,  Charles  William  Ferdinand. 


22 


Letter  from  Canada. 


sum  involved  in  a  case  exceed  ;^500  sterling,  an  appeal 
may  be  made  either  to  the  Crnadian  Government  or  to 
his  Majesty's  Privy  Counsellors  at  London.  With  the 
exception  of  the  two  above-named  cities,  no  other 
courts  of  justice  and  no  other  advocates  can  be  found 
in  the  whole  of  Canada.  As  a  rule,  two  or  three  Par- 
ishes have  one  regularly  appointed  notary  in  common, 
who  draws  up  contracts,  agreements,  wills,  marriage- 
settlements  etc. 

Canada,  has  another  peculiar  political  institution 
which  dates  back  from  the  time  when  the  French  were 
its  masters.  All  the  Parishes  are  divided  into  three 
districts,  each  one  having  a  Colonel  of  Militia  at  its 
head.  These  three  Colonels,  who  reside  in  Quebec, 
Three  Rivers  and  Montreal,  execute  through  their 
subordinates  all  the  commands,  notices,  etc.,  of  the 
Government,  and  collect  all  of  the  taxes.  These  sub- 
ordinates, who  are  called  Lieutenant-Colonels  and 
Majors  of  Militia,  have,  in  their  turn,  charge  of  several 
smaller  districts,  and  command  the  captains  of  militia 

Each  Parish  has  ks  Captain  of  Militia,  and,  should  it 
be  a  large  one,  it  may  have  two.  These  captains  are 
residents  of  the  Parishes,  and  have  nothing,  excepting 
the  office  they  hold,  to  distinguish  them  from  their 
neighbors.  They  work  and  clothe  themselves  the 
same  as  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants,  and  receive  their 
positions  through  election  and  confirmation  of  the 
same  by  the  Colonel.  In  fact,  they  occupy  about  the 
same  rank  in  the  Parishes  that  our  magistrates  or 
mayors  do  at  home.      The  commands  of  the  Govern- 


Letter  from  Canada. 


23 


ment  are  promulgated  by  them  in  the  Parishes ;  they 
see  to  it  that  they  are  obeyed  ;  in  short,  they  enforce 
the  police  laws  and  are  held  responsible  for  the  behavior 
of  the  inhabitants.  In  addition  to  this,  they  have  to 
provide  quarters  for  the  soldiers  that  march  through 
their  Parishes,  and  furnish  them  with  all  necessary 
transportation.  When  required  by  the  Generals,  they 
order  out  the  inhabitants  for  working  purposes,  such  as 
driving,  etc.,  and  also  furnish  the  supplies  they  have 
been  ordered  to  procure.  They  likewise  see  to  it  that 
the  roads  and  bridges  in  the  several  Parishes  are  kept 
in  proper  repair.  They  also  supervise  the  forwarding 
from  Parish  to  Parish  of  the  letters  and  military  orders 
of  the  different  Generals  to  each  other,  and  are  respon- 
sible for  such  documents  reaching  their  proper  desti- 
nation. Under  them  are  two  Lieutenants  of  Police 
who  assist  them  in  their  work,  as  well  as  several  Ser- 
geants, through  whom  their  orders  are  delivered  to  the 
inhabitants.  These  Captains  of  Militia  are  held  by  the 
Government  to  a  strict  accountability  for  everything 
going  on  in  their  several  Parishes.  Captains  who 
should  prove  insubordinate,  or  should  foster  rebellious 
ideas  by  designedly  refusing  to  exercise  their  authority 
or  otherwise,  would  be  harshly  dealt  with,  even  if  they 
were  not  punished  by  death.  Such  instances  have 
already  occurred.  On  the  other  hand,  the  authority 
of  these  men  is  sustained  in  various  ways  ;  and  those 
who  are  refractory  are  either  executed  or  put  to  work 
on  the  fortifications  on  the  frontiers.  If  a  Parish  con- 
tains a  number  of  rebellious  inhabitants,  their  cattle  are 


24 


Letter  from  Canada, 


forfeited  ;  the  fire  is  extinguished  on  the  hearth  ;  and 
the  roofs  of  the  houses  are  pulled  down.  This  to  them 
is  a  severe  punishment,  for  they  generally  have  large 
families  whom  they  dearly  love.  I  have  already  seen 
numerous  instances  of  this  ;  and,  indeed,  a  number  of 
houses  belonging  to  those  rebels  who  are  at  present 
in  the  army  of  the  enemy  will  probably  share  the  same 
fate  within  a  short  time.  Among  these  Militia  Cap- 
tains are  some  very  brave,  intelligent  and  determined 
men,  who  are  worthy  of  the  greatest  respect,  and 
Vv^hom  the  Governors  have  no  hesitation  in  inviting  to 
sit  at  their  tables.  Tall  pine-trees,  with  the  bark  peeled 
CjT  and  with  a  small  flag  fluttering  at  their  tops, 
are  placed  before  the  houses  of  the  Militia  Captains 
and  their  Lieutenants,  in  order  that  their  abodes  may 
readily  be  found. 

Nearl}'^  every  Parish  has  a  seigneur  living  in  it. 
When  the  French  first  settled  Canada,  very  large 
tracts  or  districts  were  given  byt  he  Crown  to  mem- 
bers of  the  nobility,  and  to  officers  who  had  rendered 
great  services.  Such  tracts  were  from  three  to  four 
leagues  long  by  the  same  in  width,  and  the  titled 
owners  parcelled  out  portions  of  them  to  those  who 
desired  to  build  upon  the  land.  In  this  way,  Parishes 
and  the  houses  in  them  originated.  The  seigneur 
therefore,  virtually  owns  all  the  property  in  the  Parish, 
or  the  land  upon  which  the  inhabitants  have  built; 
and  every  tenant  must  pay  him  a  yearly  sum — amount- 
ing to  several  piasters — as  well  as  tithes   consisting 


Letter  from  Canada. 


25 


of  calves,  sheep,  poultry,  etc.  *  The  seigneur,  more- 
over, has  the  privilege  of  being  the  first  buyer  of  all 
of  his  tenants'  superfluous  grain  or  cattle  that  they 
may  wish  to  sell.  His  principal  source  of  income, 
however,  is  derived  from  his  mills  ;  for  the  reason  that 
all  the  farmers  have  to  bring  their  grain  to  him  to  be 
ground  ;  and  this,  in  itself,  brings  in  a  very  pretty 
rental.  Again,  if  one  of  the  inhabitants  sells  his 
house,  the  seigjieur  receives  one  sixth  of  the  selling 
price.  The  so-called  chdteaux  of  the  seigneurs,  how- 
ever, are  not  to  be  compared  with  those  that  we  have 
at  home.  A  house  similar  to  those  I  have  already 
described,  with  one  room  more,  and  at  the  utmost 
having  but  two  stories,  is  the  home  of  the  seigneur. 
Very  often,  indeed,  the  seigneurie  is  dwarfed  into  in- 
significance by  the  other  houses  in  the  Parish  ;  for 
every  now  and  then  you  will  meet  with  very  sub- 
stantial residences,  built  with  taste  and  in  the  latest 
style  of  architecture.  When  Canada  was  ceded  to 
England,  a  number  of  French  seigneurs  sold  their  seig- 
7ieuries  to  Englishmen,  and  then  returned  to  France. 
The  seigneurs  have  no  courts  in  their  Parishes,  and  as  far 
as  I  am  aware,  no  system  of  vassalage.  The  owners  of 
seigneuries  bear  the  names  of  ancient  and  distinguished 
French  families,  though  they  have  lost  much  of  their 
old-time  splendor.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  Parishes 


*  Thus,  much  of  the  land  in  New  York  State  was  sold 
under  the  same  conditions,  which  eventually  gave  rise  to  the 
Anti-rent  War, 


26 


Letter  from  Canada. 


are  related  to  them  ;  and  many  of  their  children  have 
become  plain  farmers  themselves.  The  seigneur  is 
not  ashamed  to  marry  a  pretty  girl  belonging  to  one 
of  his  tenanis ;  and  thus  his  brothers-in-law  may  often 
be  honest  farni'TS  or  mechanics.  Many  of  his  tenants 
have  bought  tht^'r  freeholds  from  him,  and  conse- 
quently no  longe.  pay  him  ground-rent.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  numbers  of  seigneurs  may  be  seen 
who  have  fallen  into  a  state  of  decadence,  and  who 
are  hardly  to  be  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  their 
neighbors.  Occasionally,  however,  some  are  met  with 
who  still  live  in  brilliant  style,  and  whom  the  Govern- 
ment seeks  to  draw  into  its  service.  There  are  num- 
bers  or  them  in  the  suite  of  General  Carleton,  acting 
as  aides-de-camps.  Notwithstanding  their  decadence, 
however,  the  poor  seigneurs  are  treated  with  the  same 
respect  as  of  old  ;  and  no  inhabitant  would  dream  of 
meeting  his  seigneur  without  showing  him  all  proper 
deference.  Several  rich  merchants  of  Quebec  and 
Montreal,  by  the  way,  are  the  proprietors  of  their  own 
seignetiries. 

.  New  houses  are  springing  up  yearly  in  all  the  Par- 
ishes. All  seigneurs  have  still  plenty  of  timber  to 
sell.  The  ground  belonging  to  a  "  habitation  "  is  4 
arpens  *  in  length  and  from  30  to  40  in  depth.  The 
new  habitant  has  thus  a  large  piece  of  ground  which 
he  can  divide  up  with  his  children  and  grand-children 


*  A  word  of  Gallic  origin, — a  furlong;  being,  according  to 
Doomsday  Book,  equal  to  100  perches. 


Ml. 


Letter  from  Canada. 


27 


whenever  they  wish  to  set  up  housekeeping  for 
themselves.  In  preparing  his  land  for  cultivation, 
he  first  burns  down  the  trees ;  and  when  they  fall,  he 
uses  the  timber  thus  obtained  for  his  new  house.  He 
then  lays  bare  the  roots  of  the  trees  by  digging ;  sets 
fire  to  them ;  and  when  they  have  been  consumed,  his 
land  is  ready  for  the  plough.  At  first,  he  is  content  to 
live  in  a  poor  and  miserable  house — more  like  a  hut 
than  anything  else — containing  but  one  room  and  a 
kitchen.  From  time  to  time,  as  he  increases  his 
productive  land  by  ridding  it  of  the  stumps,  he  adds 
additional  rooms  to  his  house ;  so  that  in  the  course 
of  twenty  years  he  has  a  good  habitation  and  very 
excellent  land.  All  the  ground  within  a  distance  of 
one  fourth  of  a  league  from  the  houses  has  now  been 
cleared  of  timber,  and  consequently  the  habitans  have 
fine  fields.  The  forests  of  Canada  have  not  been 
despoiled  to  .any  great  extent.  The  trees  which  have 
been  selected  for  removal  have  a  fire  built  around 
their  base,  which  generally  burns  until  the  trees  fall. 
If  this  is  not  sufficient,  a  few  blows  of  the  axe  finish 
the  work.  For  this  reason,  the  forests  often  present  a 
desolate  appearance  ;  and  as  one  looks  upon  the  charred 
and  withered  trees,  he  easily  imagines  that  they  must 
have  been  struck  by  fire  from  heaven.  These 
"clearings"  in  the  forests  yield  very  fine  crops  of 
grass  and  hay,  thus  furnishing  most  excellent  fodder 
for  the  cattle.  Nearly  all  Canadians — many  of  whom 
are  young-  -build  new  habitations  for  themselves,  and 
are  presented  by  their  parents  with  cattle  and  articles 


28 


Letter  from  Canada, 


for  housekeeping.  "  Be  fruitful  and  multiply"  seems 
to  be  their  motto  ;  for  the  family  of  the  new  habitant 
soon  begins  to  increase.  He  has,  however,  to  work 
hard  and  live  economically  for  a  number  of  years  be- 
fore he  is  able  to  fill  his  barns  with  grain  and  enlarge 
his  stock.  Since  the  older  sons  receive  help  from 
their  parents  in  establishing  themselves  in  new  homes, 
the  younger  sons  generally  inherit  the  old  homestead. 

In  every  house  the  hahitans  engage  in  various 
trades.  In  them  you  will  find  tavern-keepers,  wine 
and  liquor  dealers,  well-to-do  merchants,  shoemakers, 
tailors,  wheelwrights,  cabinet-makers,  etc.  In  each 
Parish  there  is  a  post-house,  having  from  five  to  six 
caUches.  One  English  shilling,  or  seven  groschen,  is 
charged  for  every  league  gone  over  in  a  cake  he  ;  and 
one  is  enabled  by  these  vehicles  to  travel  very  rapidly. 
The  ordinary  post  in  Canada  is  as  regular  as  with  us 
at  home,  The  seigneurs,  the  post-houses,  and  the 
houses  of  the  Captains  of  Militia  are  exempted  from 
furnishing  quarters  to  the  troOps,  as  well  as  from  pro- 
viding conveyances  in  war-time. 

Really,  the  Canadians  are  excellent  people.  Their 
ancestors  are  French,  but  they  call  themselves  Cana- 
dians, and  the  English  Government  looks  upon  this 
with  favor.  They  are  austere  rather  than  volatile  or 
lively,  and  have  lost  much  of  the  vivacity  of  their  an- 
cestors. They  are  the  very  reverse  oi  prdvenant  and 
engageant,  and  it  is  difficult  to  gain  their  confidence ; 
but  when  you  have  gained  it,  they  are  with  you  heart 
and  soul.     By  nature  they  have  the  true  droiture  du 


Letter  from  Canada. 


29 


coeury  and  are  inclined  to  fair  dealing.  Having  once 
secured  their  trust,  a  scoundrel  could  easily  persuade 
them  to  do  unlawful  things  and  bring  about  their 
ruin.  For  this  reason  many  of  them  have  taken 
sides  with  the  rebels,  without  knowing  why  they  did 
so.  The  principal  instigators  of  these  troubles  have 
been  Frenchmen  and  adventurers  who  drifted  into 
Canada  at  the  time  of  the  war  between  England  and 
France,  and  who  have  made  them  believe  that  France 
intends  to  send  an  army  to  Canada. 

The  Canadians  are  an  intelligent  people,  and  most 
of  them  are  veritable  Jiomnies  cC esprit.  Their  ex- 
pressions and  conversation  are  always  to  the  point ; 
and,  in  addressing  strangers,  or  while  talking  with  each 
other  they  are  always  polite  without  indulging  in  ridic- 
ulous compliments.  They  are  talkative  among  them- 
selves, but  you  seldom  see  them  laughing,  jumping 
about,  dancing,  or  indulging  in  badinage.  The  wor- 
ries of  life,  hard  work,  and  trouble  have  caused  their 
features  to  assume  a  severe  look,  which  might  lead 
you  to  believe  that  their  faces  were  but  masks  hiding 
fierce  and  stealthy  thoughts  behind  them.  This  im- 
pression disappears  however,  upon  closer  acquaintance. 
In  view  of  the  present  times,  many  of  them  appear 
to  be  the  possessors  of  guilty  consciences,  a  fact  that 
can  be  plainly  read  upon  their  countenances.  I  have 
indeed  passed  through  Parishes  in  which  the  faces  of 
all  the  habitans  seemed  to  betray  their  rebellious  ten- 
dencies. In  such  cases,  the  Canadian  can  be  very 
malignant  and  treacherous.      In  one  instance,  Boilau,  a 


30 


Letter  fro7n  Canada. 


Captain  of  Militia  in  Chambly  and  an  ardent  royal- 
ist, was  waylaid  a  number  of  times  by  his  nephew, 
who  was  a  rebel,  in  order  that  he  might  scalp  his 
uncle  !  Again,  Brigadier-General  Gordon  was  treach- 
ously  shot  while  in  his  caUche  near  his  camp  in  the 
woods  at  Chambly. 

No  other  nation  can  endure  fatigue,  labor,  and  hard- 
ship with  greater  fortitud^^.  To  suffer  the  pangs  of 
hunger  for  several  days  witwout  complaining  is  noth- 
ing new  to  them.  Not  a  few  of  these  people  are  at 
present  serving  in  the  army,  although  to  do  so  they 
often  have  to  drive  from  loo  to  200  leagues  in  their 
carts  (charettes).  Cest  pour  le  service  du  rot  is  all 
that  is  required  to  be  said  in  order  to  induce  the 
Canadian  cheerfully  to  undertake  the  work  he  has 
been  ordered  to  do.  They  cannot  endure  rough  treat- 
ment, such  as  knocks  and  blows ;  and  no  one  will 
more  bitterly  complain  of  that  kind  of  usage  than 
they.  This  sensitiveness  is  no  doubt  caused  by  their 
finer  feelings.  They  will  tell  you  that  inpauvre  Cana- 
dien  (poor  Canadian)  also  has  his  f  *"Mngs,  and  will 
make  you  the  judge  of  their  troubles  and  sufferings. 
To  sum  up,  they  wish  to  be  treated  in  a  courteous 
manner.  Should  you  wish  them  to  do  anything  for 
you,  your  request  must  be  prefaced  with  kind  words, 
otherwise  they  will  either  feel  insulted  or  act  treacher- 
ously. In  fine,  no  other  nation  is  more  obliging  than 
theirs  if  treated  kindly.  On  the  other  hand,  it  will 
not  do  to  be  too  kind  and  polite.  In  making  your 
requests,  you  must  combine  a  certain  amount  of  firm- 


\ 


Letter  from  Canada. 


31 


ness  with  your  civility,  that  they  may  understand  that 
you  will  submit  to  no  remonstrance.  None  are  better 
aware  of  this  than  the  Captains  of  Militia,  who  find  it 
necessary  to  maintain  a  more  or  less  enforced  obedi- 
ence and  to  nip  in  the  bud  the  first  signs  of  disobedi- 
ence. 

In  their  housekeeping  they  are  very  orderly  and 
exact  ;  nor  can  any  other  nation  live  so  economically. 
During  the  summer  the  Canadian  lives  on  bread  as 
white  as  snow,  milk,  vegetables,  and  flour.  He  saves 
his  cattle  and  poultry  for  the  winter ;  and  then  he  is 
said  to  live  in  grand  style  !  Their  thrift  can  be  seen 
in  their  furniture  and  other  household  articles  (dating 
from  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.),  all  of  which  afford 
ample  evidence  of  having  passed  down  through  many 
hands.  Regarding  money  matters  they  are  exceed- 
ingly close,  and  well  they  may  be  ;  for  you  will  seldom 
meet  with  a  family  having  less  than  eight  or  ten  chil- 
dren. Even  when  they  have  no  need  of  money,  you 
will  not  find  them  giving  any  of  it  away.  Neither 
need  you  feel  ashamed  courteously  to  offer  a  lady  with 
whom  you  may  stand  on  a  friendly  footing,  a  few  so^is 
for  the  milk  she  may  have  given  you  with  your  coffee, 
for  she  will  receive  it  as  politely  as  you  offer  it.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  will  warm  your  heart  to  observe 
how  hospitable  they  are  among  each  other.  A  Ca- 
nadian can  go  on  a  journey  of  a  hundred  miles,  and 
without  much  trouble  find  quarters  for  himself  and 
horse  at  whatever  house  he  may  chance  to  stop.  He 
will  enter,  eat,  drink,  sleep,  and  gossip  with  his  host 


32 


Letter  from  Canada. 


as  unconcernedly  as  if  he  were  at  home  ;  and  notwith- 
standing this  you  will  meet  with  no  "  sponges."  As 
to  beggars,  they  are  unknown  in  Canada.  The  habi- 
tans  regard  each  other  as  blood-relations  ;  and  one 
Parish  will  assume,  if  necessary,  the  burdens  (i.e.  taxes) 
of  another  Parish,  instead  of  trying  to  shift  them  upon 
the  other  as  with  us  at  home.  The  Canadians  are  not 
at  all  suspicious.  Their  barns  are  left  unlocked  ;  their 
cattle  roam  about  the  yard  ;  and  most  of  their  things 
are  not  even  put  under  lock  and  key.  They  will  not 
touch  anything  that  does  not  belong  to  them.  You 
may  safely  give  several  guineas  to  the  first  Canadian 
you  chance  to  meet  to  have  them  changed,  for  he  will 
invariably  return  with  the  correct  amount.  Again,  he 
will  gladly  loan  you  his  furniture,  besides  lending  you 
a  helping  hand  whenever  in  his  power,  without 
manifesting  any  signs  that  he  would  like  to  be  paid 
for  the  same.  By  paying  him  he  will  become  the  most 
faithful  and  discreet  of  messengers,  and  can  be  sent 
almost  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  Canada. 

The  Canadians  are  also  very  cleanly.  They  love 
tobacco,  though  I  cannot  understand  how  they  can 
smoke  the  strongest  and  most  disgusting  tobacco  in 
short  pipes  and  to  such  excess.  The  ladies  (every 
woman  in  this  country  is  styled  Madame^  love  snuff  ; 
and  no  Canadian  will  reject  a  glass  of  rum.  Still, 
I  have  seen  very  few  heavy  drinkers  or  habitual 
drunkards. 

Fashion  is  under  a  ban  in  Canada.  Nearly  every 
stitch  the  habitant  wears  upon  his  back  is  made  by 


Letter  from  Canada. 


33 


himself.  He  makes  his  own  souliers  des  sauvages 
[moccasins];  and  he  also  manufactures  a  kind  of  shoe 
from  dressed  leather,  made  without  heels  and  straps, 
and  which,  when  new,  does  not  look  so  very  badly. 
In  the  winter  we  will  have  to  try  this  shoe ;  for  they 
tell  us  that  our  feet  will  freeze  in  our  ordinary  boots. 
Thickly  knitted  brown  stockings  are  tied  under  the 
knee  by  a  red  woollen  band.  His  breeches  are  either 
made  of  rough  cloth,  or  from  the  hides  of  wild  cattle 
tanned  by  himself.  His  shirts  are  tied  in  front,  and 
made  out  of  dotted  home-spun  goods  similar  to  those 
worn  by  our  peasants  at  home.  His  clothes  are  fas- 
tened about  his  hips  by  means  of  a  thick  woollen  scarf, 
with  tassels  dangling  at  the  ends.  These  scarfs  are  of 
all  colors,  according  to  the  wearer's  taste.  A  woollen 
hood  (a  Capuchin  hood)  is  attached  to  the  back  of 
his  coat,  which  he  draws  over  his  head  in  rough  and 
wet  weather.  Hats  are  seldom  worn;  thick  red  col- 
ored bonnets,  lined  inside  with  white,  being  most 
generally  affected  by  the  Canadians.  The  Canadian 
dandy  wears  a  jacket  made  of  some  kind  of  white 
frieze,  ornamented  in  front  by  red-and-blue  ribbons 
and  several  rosettes  of  the  same  material.  This  dress 
or  jacket,  which  is  fringed,  is  the  national  costume, 
and  feels  very  comfortable  and  warm.  Governor 
Carleton,  when  forced  to  travel  among  the  Canadians 
in  winter  on  government  business  himself  wears  one 
of  these  jackets.  In  .summer  the  habitans  wear 
jackets  of  silesia,  calico,  or  linen,  with  ribbons  flutter- 
ing behind.     Should  one  judge  the  Canadians  by  their 


34 


Letter  from  Canada. 


clothes,  he  is  liable  to  make  serious  mistakes ;  as  he 
will  often  find  a  rich  or  prominent  man  wearing  a 
miserable  coat.  People  living  i.i  the  cities,  and  well- 
to-do  habitants,  such  as  notaries,  merchants,  and  the 
like,  dress  in  the  English  or  French  fashion,  but  with- 
out wearing  gold  or  silver  jewelry.  Artistic  hair- 
dressing  is  unknown.  The  habita7it  ties  his  queue 
with  a  white  ribbon.  The  ladies  dress  in  the  same 
style  as  their  sex  on  the  other  side,  and,  whether  rich 
or  poor,  put  up  their  hair  in  a  chignon,  and  also  wear 
hoods  fastened  under  the  chin  with  colored  silk  rib- 
bons. As  yet,  I  have  seen  no  lady  with  her  hair 
curled.  The  rich  wear  in  winter  a  cloth  mantel 
(trimmed,  perhaps,  with  fur),  and  in  summer  one 
made  of  light  material,  the  capes  attached  to  them 
being  pulled  over  the  head. 

Every  habitant  has  his  horse,  caVeche,  and  sleigh. 
What  he  calls  a  caliche  [calash]  is  the  same  as  our 
carioles  at  home, with  this  difference:  the  wagon-box 
is  capable  of  holding  two  persons,  and  the  axle  is 
longer.  The  driver  sits  in  front  upon  a  board  seat, 
with  both  feet  resting  on  the  shafts.  The  entire 
caliche  is  made  of  pine,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  you 
will  find  three  groschejis  worth  of  iron  on  it.  The 
outer  part  of  the  wheels  is  witiiout  a  tire,  but  the 
inner  parts  have  iron  casings.  The  axle  to  which 
they  are  attached  is  composed  of  plain  wood,  and  the 
shafts  are  of  thin  wood.  The  body  is  also  of  wood, 
and  is  suspended  from  home-made  leather  straps  or 
ropes.     Some  of  the  roads  are  so  bad  that  one  runs 


\.-^:-' 


\  1l 


Letter  from  Canada. 


35 


if 


the  risk  of  breaking  his  neck  ;  but  it  seldom  happens 
that  the  caliche  is  broken,  as  the  pine  in  this  country- 
is  extraordinarily  tough  and  hard.  Canadian  horses 
are  well  though  lightly  buiit,  and,  though  of  medium 
size,  are  strong.  With  a  pair  of  large,  round  bells 
jingling  about  their  necks,  they  can  trot  six  leagues  at 
a  stretch  over  hills  and  mountains,  through  thick  and 
thin.  One  of  these  horses  can  cover  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  leagues  a  day  without  eating;  and,  after  un- 
hitching your  horse  at  your  journey's  end,  he  is  let 
loose  in  a  paddock,  where  he  eats  his  fill  of  grass.  It 
is  only  in  winter,  and  but  seldom  in  summer,  that 
horses  are  fed  on  oats.  They  are  not  shod  in  sum- 
mer but  only  in  winter,  when  they  are  driven  before 
a  sleigh,  which,  by  the  way,  is  so  light,  as  to  almost  go 
by  itself.  At  any  rate,  you  can  make  from  two  to 
two  and  a  half  German  miles  in  such  a  vehicle  in  an 
hour.  Caroches,  chaises,  etc.,  in  fact  all  four-wheeled 
wagons,  are  unknown  in  Canada.  Rich  people  have 
tops  to  their  caleches,  and  sometimes  have  a  team  har- 
nessed to  them.  All  carts  have  two  wheels  ;  are  also 
lightly  built,  and  are  used  by  the  habitant  to  carry  his 
grain  and  hay.  The  driver  guides  his  horse  by  speak- 
ing to,  and  not  by  whipping,  him — talking  to  him 
meanwhile,  during  the  entire  trip,  as  if  he  were  a 
human  being.  The  following  are  some  of  the  expres- 
sions to  be  heard  on  the  road:  ''va  doux,  paresseux 
[lazy  beast],  ''  prencz,  garde  a  vous,  doiiccmcnt  J'  tic* 

*  Mrs.  General  Riedesel  gives  an  amusing  account  of  her 
travels  behind  a  calcchc  on  her  way  to  Three  Rivers  to  join 


1 1 


36 


Letter  from  Canada. 


The  Canadians  are  expert  boatmen.  Every  habitant 
is  a  liunter  and  a  fisiierman  ;  botii  of  vviiicii  vocations 
are  witiiin  the  reach  of  every  one.  There  are  but  few 
ponds.  An  ox-horn  is  his  powder-horn.  Wild  duck, 
snipe,  and  wild  pigeons  are  plentiful ;  while  bears, 
rabbits,  muskrats  and  beavers  can  be  shot  in  the  win- 
ter. However,  as  I  am  not  as  yet  an  expert  in  hunt- 
ing, I  will  have  to  leave  further  details  of  this  sport 
until  some  future  time. 

While  the  fine  arts  are  unknown  to  the  Canadians, 
it  is  not  from  lack  of  ability  to  learn.  They  know  of 
nothing  except  what  is  going  on  within  their  own  im- 
mediate circle.  Regarding  religion  they  are  very  de- 
vout, but  ignorant.  I  have  not  found  them  intolerant 
in  regard  to  their  religious  views  ;  at  any  rate,  they  do 
not  as  yet  look  upon  me  as  a  heretic.  Their  cur^s  are 
mostly  good  and  sociably  disposed  men  with  agree- 
able manners — some  of  them  indeed,  possessing  con- 
siderable knowledge.     Their  churches  do  not  contain 


her  husband.  "The  Canadians,"  she  writes,  "are  everlast- 
ingly talking  to  their  horses,  and  giving  them  all  kinds  of 
names.  Thus,  when  they  were  not  either  lashing  their 
horses  or  singing,  they  cried,  *  Ailons,  nion  prince  I  Pour 
mon  gdnt'ral.'  Oftener,  however,  they  said,  'i^^',  done, 
madame ! '  I  thought  that  this  last  was  designed  for  me, 
and  asked,  ^  Plait -il?'  '  Oh,*  replied  the  driver,  ^  ce  n'cst  que 
mon  cJieval^  la  petite  ccquine'  (It  is  only  the  little  jade,  my 
horse.)"  A  very  good  picture  of  a  caliche,  with  the  driver 
seated  on  the  fills,  and  driving  merrily  along,  may  be  seen  in 
"Weld's  Travels  in  America,  1796-7." 


Letter  from  Cattada. 


37 


many  sacred  paintings,  a  fact,  perhaps,  which  may  be 
accounted  for  on  the  score  of  expense.  No  convents 
are  to  be  found  in  the  country.*  But  few  people  are 
able  to  write,  and  the  orthography  of  the  rich  who  can 
write  may  be  compared  with  that  of  our  common 
classes  at  home.  I  have  read  letters  written  by  Cap- 
tain of  Militia,  Tournencour — a  prominent  banker 
and  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  Canada — which 
would  require  a  key  in  order  to  understand  them. 
They  write  as  they  speak,  and  contract  several  words 
into  one. 

All  Canadians,  no  matter  how  they  may  try  to  dis- 
guise it,  still  have  a  leaning  towards  French  rule.  The 
English  Government  is  on  guard  however,  and  Gen- 
eral Carleton's  chief  strength  lies  in  the  fact  of  his  being 
able  to  ferret  out  all  attempts  in  that  direction  with- 
out its  being  known  from  what  sources  he  receives  his 
information. 

Canac  i  exports  yearly  looo  lasts  [2000  tons]  of 
wheat  She  has,  moreover,  considerable  irade  in 
horses  with  other  English  colonies ;  and  the  many 
thousand  head  of  cattle  we  have  already  devoured  are 
but  such  a  small  proportion  of  those  still  remaining  in 
Canada  that  we  live  in  hopes  of  whetting  our  teeth 
on  the  flesh  of  many  thousands  more  ! 

*  All  the  convents  had  either  been  burned  down  or  con- 
verted into  barracks  before  this  writer  came  to  Canada.  See 
letters  farther  on.  Gen.  Riedesel,  however,  speaks  of  a 
pleasant  nunnery  at  Three  Rivers,  called  the  Convent  of 
Ursulines. 


FIRST     CAMPAIGN    OF     THE     BRUNS- 

WICKERS   IN    CANADA   IN 

THE  YEAR  1776.* 

Batiscamp,  Nov.  3,  1776. 
On  the  24th  of  September,  I  left  my  ship  to  pro- 
ceed to  Quebec,  where,  on  the  following  day,  I  had  the 
opportunity  of  witnessing  the  burial  of  a  Freemason. 
Two  Masons,  bearing  standards  draped  !i  mourning, 
led  the  procession  ;  these,  in  turn,  were  followed  by 
the  entire  lodge  marching  in  pairs  according  to  their 
rank  in  that  body  ;  all  being  attired  in  full  regalia,  with 
fine  white  leather  aprons  extending   down   to  their 

*  This  is  a  complete  daily  journal  having  reference  to  the 
march  of  the  Brunswickers  from  Sept.  24  to  Nov.  3,  1776, 
by  the  author  of  "  Private  Letters  from  Canada,"  interspeised 
with  numerous  petty  but  characteristic  details,  and  contain- 
ing, particularly,  an  accurate  topography  of  the  entire  re- 
gion in  Canada  between  Quebec  and  Lake  Champlain.  The 
latter  feature  will  be  the  more  welcome  to  our  readers,  since, 
as  the  author  himself  states  in  another  part  of  his  letters, 
complete  land-charts  of  Canada  are  very  scarce. — Note  by 
Schlozer, 

38 


First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada.         39 

knees,  and  a  mason's  trowel  at  the  side.  "Wi^  fr^res 
terribles  walked  to  the  grave  with  drawn  swords.  All 
the  Masons  were  clothed  in  black ;  and  in  place  of 
mourning  cloaks,  they  wore  a  fine  white  sash  about 
two  hands  in  width,  extending  from  the  right  shoulder 
down  to  the  left  side,  in  the  same  manner  in  which  the 
Hanoverians  wear  their  scarfs.  In  place  of  crape, 
they  had  a  folded  white  cloth,  a  yard  and  a  half  long, 
hanging  down  from  the  right  side  of  their  hats.  Fol- 
lowing the  body  came  two  English  preachers  attired 
also  in  mourning  habits,  they,  in  turn,  being  followed 
by  a  detachment  of  one  officer,  four  under-officers,  and 
three  hundred  men  of  the  English  militia  of  Quebec. 
These  last  carried  arms — the  deceased  having  been  a 
militia  officer.  Upon  the  coffin,  which  was  borne  by 
the  lay-brothers,  were  placed  the  dead  man's  sword 
and  his  masonic  regalia.  Immediately  after  the  coffin 
came,  in  ordinary  civilian's  dress,  the  militia  company 
to  which  the  deceased  had  belonged.  A  more  im- 
pressive silence  and  a  more  quiet  funeral  I  have  never 
witnessed. 

To-day  the  battalion  of  Barmer  disembarked  at 
Quebec,  and  immediately  began  their  march  to  join 
the  main  army. 

On  the  26th,  half  of  Specht's  regiment  also  disem- 
barked and  folli^vved  them.  VVe  marched  through  the 
city  of  Quebec,  passing  out  through  the  gate.  Here 
we  saw,  lying  in  mournful  ruins,  the  suburb  St.  John, 
which  had  been  burned  the  previous  year  by  the 
rebels  in   their   attack   upon  the   town.     We  passed 


40        First  Bru7isivick  Campaign  in  Canada. 

some  very  handsome  country-seats  belonging  to 
wealthy  citizens  of  that  city,  several  of  which  had  been 
laid  in  ashes  by  the  rebels  through  hatred  of  their 
owners.  We  had  a  good  road,  and  rested  our  weary 
bones  in  the  Parish  of  St.  Foye,  two  and  a  half  leagues 
from  Quebec — a  league  is  nearly  an  hour  and  a  halfs 
walk  or  five  eighths  of  a  German  mile.  Who  would 
not  be  tired  in  making  even  a  shprt  march,  after  being 
confined  for  thirteen  weeks  on  shipboard  ?  This 
parish  lies  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  and  contains  very  good  houses,  built  of  stone 
and  surrounded  by  excellent  fields,  meadows,  com- 
mons and  gardens. 

On  the  27th,  Rhetz's  regiment  disembarked  and 
started  on  a  similar  march.  Meanwhile,  we  proceeded 
on  ours,  and,  soon  after  leaving  St.  Foye,  encountered 
such  villainous  defiles  between  rock)-  hills  that  when 
we  first  caught  sight  of  them  our  thoughts  at  once 
reverted  to  the  Hartz  Mountains."*  An  unusually 
steep  road  led  us  up  and  down  hiiis  between  masses 
of  rock,  which,  however,  were  only  of  moderate  height. 
The  river,  which,  at  Cape  Rouge,  empties  into  the  St. 
Lawrence,  was  crossed  by  us  on  a  ferry.  Again,  we 
were  obliged  to  pass  over  a  steep  and  rocky  road  lead- 
ing through  woods   and  underbrush    until  we   once 

*From  the  outskirts  of  Brunswick,  on  a  clear  day,  the 
Hartz  Mountains  can  easily  be  seen.  In  my  walks  in  the 
vicinity  of  that  town  I  have  often  looked  upon  them.  No 
wonder  then  that  the  thoughts  of  this  Brunswick  officer  re- 
verted to  that  familiar  landscape  near  his  home! 


First  Brunswick  Campaign  i7i  Canada.         41 

mori.:  came  within  a  short  distance  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
which,  of  course,  lay  on  our  left.  On  the  right,  a 
mountain  covered  with  boulders  and  an  impenetrable 
forest  towered  aloft  like  a  wall,  having  at  its  base  a 
large  number  of  immense  pebble  stones  [boulders] 
which  had  rolled  far  into  the  river.  Some  of  these 
stones  were  from  6  to  8  yards  in  diameter.  Whether 
they  had  roiled  down  from  the  mountain,  set  free  by 
the  rains  of  many  years,  or  were  originally  in  the  river- 
bed, I  cannot  say.  At  length,  we  arrived  at  the 
parish  of  St.  Augustin.  While  the  houses  are  scat- 
tered among  the  mountains,  the  beautiful  fields 
and  meadows  which  belong  to  them  extend  along  the 
river-bank.  This  parish  is  a  large  one  ;  and  here  we 
saw,  for  the  first  time,  genuine  wooden  buildings.  We 
continued 'our  march  until  we  reached  the  parish  of 
Pointe  aux  Trembles^  where  we  took  up  our  quarters, 
having  covered  a  distance  of  7  leagues.  This  parish  is 
more  than  one  and  a  half  German  leagues  in  length,, 
and,  as  a  general  thing,  has  good  stone  houses  situated 
at  distances  of  from  three  to  f  oui  hundred  paces  apart. "'^^ 
To-day  we  received  gratifying  news  of  the  safe  arrival 
of  the  ship  "  Wiesland  "  at  Isle  le  Bic  in  the  St.  Law-^ 
rence,  having  on  board  nearly  three  companies  of 
Specht's  regiment. 

28th :  We  resumed  our  march  along-  the  banks  of 
the    St.    Lawrence,  and   passed  through   the    parish 


■'^  A  "  pace,"  when  used  by  a  military  man,  means  about 
two  and  one  half  feet. 


42         First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada, 


Larreatix,  its  church  being  built  close  to  the  river. 
In  order  to  cross  the  Jaques  Cartier  River — a  name 
derived  from  the  first  settler*  in  the  neighborhood — 
we  were  obliged  to  seat  ourselves  in  large  boats,  having 
first  unpacked  our  baggage.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
river  we  found  other  conveyances.  We  had,  how- 
ever, to  climb  several  steep  and  rocky  elevations  ;  and 
having  accomplished  this  feat,  we  took  up  our  quarters 
in  the  beautiful  parish  of  Cap  Santd,  four  leagues  in 
length,  and  the  dwellings  of  which  lie  800  paces  apart. 
The  church  here  is  the  newest  and  handsomest  in  all 
Canada,  and  its  style  of  architecture  is  unequalled. 
Its  three  small  doors  are  covered  with  white  lead.  The 
house  of  the  cur6  is  modern  as  well  as  large. 

29th :  We  continued  our  march,  and  on  reaching 
the  extremity  of  this  Parish  {Cap  Santd)  we  met 
with  two  large  English  guard-ships  at  anchor  in  the 
St.  Lawrence.  Notwithstanding  a  wretchedly  cold 
rain,  we  found  the  roads  to  be  level  and  in  good  con- 
dition. After  covering  three  leagues  we  took  up  our 
quarters  in  the  Parish  of  Chambeant  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence— the  Parish  V Aubiegnidre  being  in  view  on  the 
opposite  bank. 

On  the  30th,  we  took  a  day  of  rest,  that  we  might 
get  in  a  stock  of  flour  so  as  to  be  able  to  bake. 

Oct.  I  St,  we  crossed  the  small  river  Maquiere,  or, 
rather,  our  conveyances  forded  it,  which  was  easily 
done  at  ebb  tide.     The  soldiers,  however,  had  to  be 

*  The  discoverer  of  the  Saint  Lawrence,  1534. 


First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Ca^iada.         43 

ferried  over.  We  continued  our  march  through  the 
Parish  of  les  Grondines,  which  lies  at  quite  a  distance 
from  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  where  the  breeding  of 
cattle  is  far  ahead  of  an  otherwise  not  remarkable  ag- 
ricultural people.  After  proceeding  five  leagues,  we 
rested  in  the  very  large  and  beautiful  Parish  of  St. 
Anne,  which  has  an  extremely  well  built  and  rich 
seigneurie.  Here  we  saw  large  quantities  of  hazel- 
hens,  wild  ducks,  partridges  and  rabbits.  In  this  Par- 
ish, I  met  several  German  habitafis*  who  had  for- 
merly come  into  this  Province  with  the  French 
armies. 

On  the  2d,  we  crossed  the  river  St.  Anne  in  ba- 
teaux near  the  church,  at  which  point  we  were  strongly 
reminded  of  the  Weser.  On  the  opposite  side,  we  were 
met  by  caliches  and  c^.rts — the  Parish  of  St.  Anne 
extending  also  on  this  bank  of  the  river.  We 
marched  through  numerous  woods  and  underbrush  ; 
and  in  the  latter,  we  continually  came  upon  flocks  of 
one  hundred  and  more  black  thrushes.  In  this  under- 
brush, also,  we  met  with  many  cotton-shrubs  bearing 
ripe  fruit.f     These    peculiar   shrubs    invariably  grow 

*  A  name  applied  to  the  inhabitants  of  Lower  Canada  who 
are  of  French  descent. 

f  "  The  plant  here  referred  to  is  the  Cat-tail  or  Cotton-rush, 
Typha  latifolia.  The  heads  A  ripe  seed  do  grow,  as  de- 
scribed, singly ;  and  the  down  is  still  largely  used  by  the  in- 
habitants of  Lower  Canada  for  stuffing  beds  and  pillows." 
— Letter  from  Prof,  fames  Fletcher,  Botanist  of  the  Exptri- 
mental  Farm,  Ottawa,  Canada,  Jan.  g,  1891.  Some  of  the 
New  Jersey  farmers  also  use  Cat-tails  for  the  same  purpose. 


n 


44         First  Brunsivick  Campaign  in  Ca7iada. 

singly  ;  and  the  habitans  stuff  their  beds  with  its  cot- 
ton, for  which  purpose  it  cannot  be  equalled.  Finally 
we  arrived  at  the  Parish  Batisca^i,  where  I  now  live. 

This  parish  is  none  of  the  best ;  and  though  it  ex- 
tends, laterally,  to  a  distance  of  five  leagues,  the  houses 
lying  within  it  are,  as  a  general  rule,  most  wretched. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  the  Parish  of  St. 
Ricom.  The  St.  Lawrence,  which  is  a  good  200 
paces  from  my  quarters,  is  here  fully  one  half  a  Ger- 
man mile  wide  ;  and  so  deep  that  three-masted  ships 
can  easily  float  upon  it.  The  river  Batiscan  flows 
through  the  middle  of  the  Parish,  and  you  can 
easily  cross  it  on  thick  planks,  or,  if  you  prefer,  with 
canoes.  It  is  a  trifle  wider  than  the  St.  Anne  River. 
This  very  day  we  drove  through  the  Parish  Charnplin, 
where  Mr.  Blanc,  a  Captain  de  Milice  [militia]  and  a 
native  of  Geneva,  became  my  good  friend.  We  had 
marched  only  four  leagues,  having  been  greatly  hin- 
dered by  rivers.  The  largest  of  our  English  war-frig- 
ates, "The  Bride,"  lay  at  anchor  at  C//rt;w///?^.  She 
carries  thirty-six  guns.  The  Parish  of  CJiantilly  lies 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

On  the  3d,  we  marched  through  the  Parish  of  St. 
Madelone  [Magdalene],  which  is  opposite  the  Parish 
of  Rosencour.  We  were  forced  to  cross  numerous 
creeks  ;  and,  as  a  consequence,  also  many  bridges.  A 
Canadian  bridge  is  a  queer  thing.  It  consists  entirely 
of  a  number  of  beams  or  round  tree-trunks  placed  side 
by  side.  Should  one  of  these  beams  or  trunks  break, 
it  does  not  matter,  as  the  others  retain  their  positions. 


First  Bj'jinsiuick  Campaign  in  Canada.         45 

These  bridges,  however,  must  be  dangerous  to  cross 
at  night,  especially  for  horses  ;  in  fact,  some  of  our 
horses  broke  their  legs  as  it  was.  We  passed  a  large 
wood  composed  chiefly  of  pine,  fir,  ash,  birch,  alder, 
wild  apple  and  oak  trees  which  grew  amid  tangled 
underbrush  and  countless  wild  shrubs.  Here,  we 
also  fell  in  with  the  wigwams  of  numerous  Indians, 
who,  however,  were  hogs  compared  with  other  savages 
whom  we  had  met — they  lived  in  such  a  beastly  v ..  n- 
ner.  Pursuing  our  journey  five  and  a  half  leagues  fur- 
ther, we  came  to  the  river  St.  Francis,  also  known  as 
Three  Rivers  or  Trois  Rivitre,  from  the  fact  that 
the  river  St.  Maurice  here  divides  and  enters  the  St. 
Lawrence  by  three  channels.  This  rivv^r  is  wider  than 
the  Saale.  Again,  we  gentlemen  had  to  step  into 
shallops  and  allow  ourselves  to  be  ferried  over.  An 
Indian,  for  two  shillihgs,  did  me  the  honor  of  carrying 
me  across  the  river  like  the  wind  in  his  birch-bark 
canoe.  After  crossing,  we  still  nad  to  march  a  good 
league  before  arriving  at  the  town  of  Three  Rivers, 
where  we  dried  our  clothes,  it  having  rained  the  entire 
day. 

Three  Rivers,  although  the  oldest  French  colonial 
town  in  Canada,  is  small  and  straggling.  It  contains 
scarcely  three  hundred  houses,  most  of  which  are  of 
wood  and  but  one  story  high.  Still,  many  merchants 
occupy  them  as  residences.  M.  de  Tonneucourt 
[TonnancourJ,  the  Coionel  of  Militia  in  this  place,  is 
one  of  the  wealthiest  persons  in  all  Canada.  He  is  a 
large  contractor,  merchant,  corn-  and  cattle-dealer,  and 


46         First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada. 

a  Jew.  Nothing  in  the  way  of  trade  comes  amiss  to 
him.  He  will  sell  you  half  an  ounce  of  pepper,  or  re- 
tail you  a  glass  of  brandy  in  his  house  ;  while,  at  the 
same  time,  he  supplies  the  larger  part  of  Canada  with 
wine  at  wholesale.  I'ometimes  he  lives  on  a  magitifi- 
cent,  and  at  others  on  a  small,  scale  ;  has  numerous 
outlying  country-houses  ;  likes  to  loan  money  on 
houses  and  farms  ;  and,  in  short,  is  universally  known 
as  the  "  Pope  of  Canada."  The  Convent  of  the  Re- 
collets  has  been  abolished  ;  the  former  Government- 
House  turned  into  a  barrack  for  300  men  ;  and  the 
Urstiline  Convent  converted  into  a  hospital  for  our 
troops.  The  chief  resident  Cur^  bears  the  title  of 
Grand  Vicar.  Many  pretty  and  lively  girls  are  met 
with  in  this  town  who  dress  themselves  very  neatly. 
Quite  a  number  of  Seigneurs  have  here  their  winter 
residences.  A  20-gun  frigate  lay  anchored  on  the  St. 
Lawrence,  which  flows  close  by  the  city.  An  ex- 
tremely important  magazine  is  also  located  here  ;  and 
occasionally  you  will  meet  with  exceedingly  nice 
houses  furnished  very  respectably. 

On  the  4th,  we  marched  over  very  dirty,  muddy  and 
swampy  roads  filled  with  pitfalls,  passing  through  the 
Parish  of  Pointe  an  Lac,^  a  wretchedly  poor  place. 
At  this  point,  the  St.  Lawrence  widens  out  into  a 
large  lake,  called  Lac  de  St.  Pierrey  which   ib  three 


^  Pointe  du  Lac :  also  called  Tonnancour — probably 
named  after  the  merchant  of  the  same  name,  mentioned  a 
Page  or  two  back. 


First  Brinisiuick  Campaign  in  Canada.         47 

leagues  in  width.  We  passed  the  little  Muschiche 
River,*  and  after  making  six  leagues,  remained  over 
night  in  the  Parish  of  MachiticJic.  Upon  the  other 
side  of  Lac  St.  Pitrre  lies  the  Parish  of  St.  Antoine 
or  Lcfevre  on  a  bay  of  the  same  name,  between  which 
anr'  the  lake  stretches  a  long  neck  of  land  called 
Longne  Point e. 

On  the  5th,  we  passed,  on  our  march,  the  large 
Parish  an  Loup  and  the  river  of  the  same  name.  We 
crossed  also,  the  Maskinonge  River  in  boats,  marched 
six  leagues  further,  and  slept  that  night  in  the  Parish 
of  Maskinonge,^  which  meets  with  my  approval. 

The  6th  was  a  day  of  rest. 

On  the  7th,  we  had  a  passable  road,  through  a  long 
straggling  wood  about  three  leagues  in  length ; 
though  frequently  we  were  up  to  our  knees  in  mud 
and  water.  We  crossed  the  river  Chicot,  as  well  as 
the  little  river  Bastd,  on  a  float  [raft  ?].  We  had  now 
marched  four  and  a  half  leagues,  and  accordingly 
rested  for  the  night  in  the  excellent  Parish  of  Barties. 


The    seigneur   living    here — an     Englishman    named 


Colbert — has  a  fine  castle  fitted  up  in  the  best  of  taste. 
He  has  laid  out  a  new  Parish  three  leagues  in  length, 
extending  laterally  from  Barlier,  and  named  it  York. 
On   my  return,  I   passed  through   it,  and  have  seen 

*  The  Mascouche  River  in  Lower  Canada,  which  falls  into 
the  river  St.  John  about  twelve  miles  before  the  latter  joins 
the  St.  Lawrence. 

f  So  named  after  the  fish  Mascalinga,  or  Muscalonge — as 
Pike  Co.,  in  Pennsylvania,  is  called  after  that  fish. 


48         First  Bru7iswick  Campaign  in  Canada. 


a  new  Parish  in  its  infancy ;  and  anything  more 
wretched  and  forlorn  cannot  be  imagined.  At  Bar- 
Her,  Lac  St.  Pierre  forms  various  islands,  the  one 
nearest  Earlier  and  uninhabited  being  called  hie  au 
Custus.  It  is  four  leagues  in  length  by  nearly  the  same 
in  width.  In  the  rear  of  this  lies  the  far  larger  and 
inhabited  Isle  du  Pas. 

On  Oct.  8th,  twenty-two  bateaux  were  sent  to  us 
from  Sorel  to  convey  Specht's  regiment  and  baggage 
across  [upj  the  St.  Lawrence  to  that  village.  They 
were  all  royal  bateaux,  of  which  the  army  has  over 
one  thousand.  Such  a  bateau,  or  large  boat,  can  carry 
from  seven  to  eight  thousand  pounds  in  weight  and 
twenty-eight  or  thirty  people.  Our  soldiers,  who  have 
learned  the  art  perfectly  since  they  have  been  in  Can- 
ada, were  obliged  to  row — English  soldiers,  thoroughly 
understanding  navigation,  holding  the  steering-oars. 
We  rowed  three  and  a  half  leagues  before  arriving  at 
Sorel,  which  is  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  St. 
Lawrence.  At  this  place,  the  large  and  important 
Sorel — or,  as  it  is  really  called,  the  river  Richelieu* — 
flows  into  it  from  Lake  Champlain  in  two  branches, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  village.  We  landed  at  Sorel, 
where  we  found  an  English  detachment  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  men,  and  also  a  very  large  magazine 
ftom  which  we  replenished  our  stock.  At  the  mouth 
of  the  Sorel  were  about  forty  two-  and  three-masted 
English    transport-ships   whose    crews   had   recently 


*  Now  the  St.  John's  River. 


First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada.         49 


formed  part  of  our  army  at  Lake  Champlain.  An 
English  frigate  was  also  on  guard  here.  As  the  rough 
weather  and  the  passage  across  [up]  the  river  had 
greatly  detained  us,  and  as,  moreover,  the  roads  b..- 
yond  Sorel,  which  led  throughjhick  woods,  were  ex- 
ecrable, we  were  obliged,  after  8  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, to  leave  several  companies  behind  us.  The  rest 
of  the  troops,  however,  managed  to  reach  the  Parish 
of  St.  Thomas,  where  we  again  met  with  two  English 
frigates  on  guard  in  the  Sorel  River.  Many  of  the 
inhabitants  of  these  Parishes  are  in  the  service  of  the 
rebels  :  among  them'  a  habitant,  named  Nugent,  who, 
only  eight  years  ago,  was  a  hair-dresser  in  Montreal, 
but  is  now  the  high  and  n  ighty  colonel  of  a  regiment 
of  Bostonians  !  The  distance  between  Sorel  and  St. 
Thomas  is  three  leagues. 

On  the  9th  we  crossed  numerous  creeks  over  which 
dangerous  log-bridges,  similar  to  those  I  have  previ- 
ously described,  were  placed.  These  bridges  were 
thrown  across  the  streams  so  low  that  one  was  obliged 
first  to  go  down  a  steep  descent  about  the  height  of 
two  houses,  and  then  ascend  the  embankment  on  the 
opposite  side.  At  nearly  every  200  paces  we  would 
encounter  such  a  bridge.  This  condition  of  things 
was  caused  by  the  water  having  carried  away  the  earth 
on  each  side.  We  covered  to-day  but  three  leagues — 
in  fact,  we  advanced  only  as  far  as  the  large  and  beauti- 
ful Parish  of  St.  Denis.  Here  were  stationed,  for 
the  protection  of  the  transports,  a  '  esse-Hanau  and 
Brunswick   detachment  of  84  men.      On  the   other 


I' 


5C         First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada. 

side  of  the  Sorel  was  the  Parish  of  St.  Antoine.  The 
inhabitants  of  this  Parish  looked  as  if  they  were  re- 
bdliouslv  inclined. 

On  the  loth  we  passed  through  the  Parish  of  St. 
Charles.  At  this  place  we  crossed  the  Sorel  in  a  ferry- 
boat that  seemed  frail  enouo-h  to  drown  us,  and  took 
up  our  quarters  in  the  Parish  oi  Bel  Veulle  \_B  i  ml?\ 
which  is  over  3  leagues  in  length.  Five  leagues  further, 
and  opposite,  is  the  Parish  of  St.  Louis.  Von  Earner's 
battalion  were  to-day  quartered  in  the  Parish  of  St. 
TIdrlse. 

On  the  nth,  while  on  our  march,  we  saw  the  Isle 
au  Cerf  in  the  Sorel.  To-day,  we  only  advanced  as  far 
as  the  Parish  of  Chambly,  i^  leagues  distant,  where 
were  stationed,  for  the  protection  of  an  important 
magazine  and  a  train  containing  a  large  quantity  of 
ammunition,  an  English  colonel  with  a  detachment. 
Upon  the  river  were  anchored  two  English  sloops-of- 
war  carrying  eight  to  ten  guns. 

Fort  Chambly,  lying  on  the  Sorel,  has  had  its  interior 
burned  out  by  the  rebels.  The  fort  is  square  and  built 
entirely  of  masonry.  It  is  nov/  undergoing  repairs  ;  arfd 
barracks,  for  from  two  to  three  hundred  men,  are  con- 
structing inside  of  the  walls.  Beyond  Chambly  we 
cannot  go  with  bateaux  on  account  of  rapids  which 
extend  from  this  place  to  a  distance  of  three  leagues. 
The  river  here  is  wide  but  not  deep  ;  and  on  its  bottom 
can  be  seen  innumerable  large  stones  over  which  the 
water  dashes  itself  into  foam.  The  bateaux  and  small 
vessels  are  therefore  unloaded  at  this  point,  and  their 


M'fl 


First  Brunstvick  Campaign  in  Canada.         5 1 

cargoes,  consisting  of  all  the  army  supplies,  carried  in 
charcttes  [carts]  a  distance  of  three  leagues  before  they 
can  be  reloaded  into  the  boats.  All  the  vessels  that 
were  used  by  our  army  on  Lake  Champlain  were  trans- 
ported on  land  piece  by  piece  from  Chambly  to  a  dis- 
tance of  3  leagues,  when  they  were  again  put  together. 
Major-General  Riedesel  was  stationed,  with  two  regi- 
ments, upon  Isle  aux  Noix.  This  island  lies  in  the 
Sorel  near  where  that  river  opens  into  Lake  Champlain. 
At  Chambly  the  Parishes  cease. 

On  our  arrival  at  Chambly  we  found  that  the  main 
army  [under  Carleton]  had  already  embarked  and 
started  for  lake  Champlain,  partly  in  ships  and  partly 
in  bateaux.  First  of  all,  however,  I  must  describe 
that  Lake,  although,  as  yet,  I  have  not  seen  it  myself. 
Above  Chambly  and  on  the  Sorel  lies  Fort  St.  John. 
Here  Earner's  battalion  was  to-day  encamped,  except- 
ing the  Jagers  [Rifle-men],  who  had  gone  forward 
with  the  main  army.  Above*  St.  John,  and  the  again 
navigable  Sorel,  lies  the  Isle  aux  Noix.  On  this  island, 
which  is  uninhabited,  General  Riedesel  lay  encamped. 
A  little  way  further,  and  you  reach  the  large  Cham- 
plain Sea,  across  the  middle  of  which  runs  the  bound- 

*  This  word  "  above"  proves,  among  other  things,  that  the 
writer  was  a  careful  observer,  and  had  taken  pains  to  acquaint 
himself  accurately  with  the  topography  of  the  country. 
Hadden  (who,  if  he  had  been  writing,  would  have  written 
below)  and  most  all  writers  at  this  time  invariably  speak  as 
if  the  St.  John  River,  and  Lake  Champlain  ran  south,  like 
the  Hudson. 


■\\ 


52         First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada, 

ary  line  between  Canada  and  New  York.  Then,  again, 
upon  the  right,  or  western  bank  of  the  lake,  is  a  well- 
known  cape,  called,  Pointe  aux  Terres,  where  Gen- 
eral Carleton  lay  encamped  with  the  corps  d'arm^e. 
Moreover,  in  the  lake  itself  are  to  be  found  the  Isle 
aux  detlx  Tetes,  Pointe  aux  Pommes,  Isle  la  Motte,  and 
Isle  la  Grande,  etc.  During  the  day  the  regiments 
were  obliged  to  row  ;  and  towards  night  they  landed* 
and,  building  fires  in  the  woods,  cooked  their  evening 
meal.  Our  naval  force  upon  the  lake  consists  of 
the  ship  "Carleton," 1 2  guns  ;  '•  Lady  Marie,"  14  guns  ; 
"  L'Inflexible,"  30  guns;  and  the  *' Radeau,"  *  carry- 
ing 6  gun.,  and  also  having  upon  deck  8  or  10 
small  cannon.  The  "Armide,"  and  "  Baleine,"  were 
24-gun  ships  having  12-pounders  at  the  fore,  and, 
when  brought  end  to  end,  served  as  a  battery. 

On  the  1 2th,  Specht's  regiment  had  a  day  of  rest, 
and  united  once  more  with  that  of  Rhetz's. 

On  the  13th,  both  regiments  occupied  a  camp  in 
common  at  Chambly,  but  kept  themselves  in  constant 
readiness  to  march  to  the  advanced  portion  of  the 
army.  However,  on  the  15th,  we  heard*  that  General 
Carleton    had   surprised,  attacked,  and   defeated   the 

*"The  Radeau  was  an  unique  structure  which  is  often 
mentioned  in  the  naval  annals  of  the  northern  lakes.  It  was 
scarcely  more  than  a  raft  or  floating  battery,  but  constructed 
with  great  solidity  and  strength.  It  was  protected  only  by 
low  and  slight  bulwarks,  but,  armed  with  the  heaviest  ord- 
nance,  it  was  a  powerful  and  effective  craft." — General  Ho- 
ratio Rogers,  in  "  Haddens  Journal.'' 


First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada.         53 

enemy's  fleet  between  Isle  an  Chapon  and  the  main- 
land, and  had  driven  the  remainder  of  the  fleet  into 
Cumberland  Bay. 

On  the  17th,  we  further  learned  that  the  enemy's 
fleet  was  entirely  ruined,  it  having  been  burnt,  and,  in 
part,  sunk  by  boring  holes  in  the  vessels.  Most  of 
the  rebels  saved  themselves,  however,  by  taking  to 
their  bateaux.  We  have  bored  holes  into  or  burned 
the  following  vessels,  viz. :  the  "  Royal  Savage,"  carry- 
ing eight  6-pounders  and  four  4-pounders,  and  which 
was  commanded  by  the  notorious  General  Arnold  * — 
a  former  horse-dealer,  but  who  saved  himself  after  first, 
with  his  own  hands,  setting  fire  to  his  vessel ;  the 
"  Re /enge,"  carrying  two  4-pounders  and  six  3-pound- 
ers;  the  "Enterprise,"  with  ten  4-pounders;  "  Le 
Cutter,"  with  one  12-pounder  and  four  6-pounders; 
the  "Tremble,"  with  one  i8-pounder,  one  12-pounder, 
and  six  6-pounders;  the  "Washington,"  carrying  one 
i4-pounder,  one  12-pounder,  two  9-pounders,  and  six 
6-pounders  ;  the  "  Congress,"  of  the  same  armament 
as  the  "  Washington  ;"  the  "  Philadelphia,"  with  one 
12-pounder,  two  9-pounders;  the  "  New  York,"  car- 
rying the  same  number  of  guns  as  the  "Philadelphia  ;" 
and    the    "  Jersey,"    "  Providence,"    "  New   Haven," 

*  The  Germans  seem  to  have  had  a  poor  opinion  of 
Arnold — one  of  the  bravest  and  best  generals  the  Conti- 
nental army  ever  had,  and  to  whom  is  really  due  the  entire 
credit  of  the  victory  of  both  battles  of  Saratoga.  Thus,  in 
a  "List  of  American  Generals  for  1778  "  in  Schlozcr,  Arnold 
is  described  as  an  "apothecary,  a  bankrupt,  and  a  swindler." 


II 


:ii 


54         First  Brt^iswiek  Campaign  ifi  Canada. 

"  Spitfire,"  and  "Boston,"  also  of  the  same  comple- 
ment of  guns.  Two  vessels,  that  were  sent  to  Ticon- 
deroga,  got  off  in  safety.  Thereupon  General  Carleton 
advanced  as  far  as  Crown  Point,  just  as  the  rebels 
had  evacuated  it,  after  having  first  set  it  on  fire. 
We  learn,  however,  that  the  flames  were  extinguished 
by  our  army  before  they  had  gained  much  headway. 
Meanwhile,  the  rebels  have  withdrawn  to  a  fortified 
camp  at  Fort  Carillon  LTiconderoga],  which  very 
likely  will  become  the  seat  of  war  next  spring.  None 
of  our  corps  were  engaged  in  the  naval  battle. 

On  October  20th  and  21st,  the  army  began  their 
march  into  winter  quarters.  We  hold  the  key  to 
Canada,  because  we  are  now  masters  of  Lake 
Champlain.  Three  thousand  men  are  to  remain  at 
Crown  Point,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier 
Fraser.  This  force  is  made  up  of  Indians,  Canadians, 
grenadiers,  and  the  riflemen  (Jagers)  of  the  Eleventh 
Regiment.  Upon  Pointe  aiix  Fer  and  the  Isle  aux 
Noix  Earner's  battalion  is  to  be  stationed.  Our 
grenadiers  will  be  placed  in  the  Parish  St.  A^itoine 
and  St.  Denis ;  the  Hesse-Hanaus  in  Bartics  and 
Masqninonge.  The  regiment  of  Prince  Frederick 
will  leave  Quebec  and  go  to  Marchishe  \Machise'\ 
and  Point  ati  Loup.  Both  of  these  regiments — that  is, 
those  of  Hesse-Hanau  and  Prince  Frederick — are  un- 
der the  command  of  Brigadier-General  Gall.  The 
drogoons  and  Von  Riedesel's  regiment  will  go  into 
winter  quarters  at  Three  Rivers,  Pointe  an  Lac  and 
Cap  de  Madclane.     Specht's  regiment  goes  to  Cham- 


First  Brunswick  Campaig7i  in  Canada.         55 

bly  and  Batisca^np,  and  Rhetz's  to  St.  Anne  and  Les 
Grondines,  both  being  under  the  command  of  Briga- 
dier-General Specht.  Two  English  regiments  are 
to  proceed  to  Quebec,  which  is  to  be  the  headquar- 
ters of  General  Carleton.  General  von  Riedesel  will 
take  up  his  quarters  at  Three  Rivers.  Regarding  the 
disposition  of  the  English  regiments,  I  do  not,  as  yet, 
know;  but  this  is  certain,  that  the  question  of  winter 
quarters  for  all  has  not  yet  been  fully  decided  and  is 
still  under  consideration.  This  much,  however,  I  do 
know,  viz.  :  that  the  parishes  on  the  other  side  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  are  to  be  garrisoned.  At  present,  from 
six  to  twelve  m.en  are  quartered  in  a  house,  which  is 
too  much  in  Canada. 

We  are  returning  from  Chamoly  to  Batiscamp  by 
the  same  route  that  we  came. 

Our  army  new  consists  of  twelve  English  regi- 
ments, the  names  of  which,  excepting  those  of  Gen- 
eral Carleton  and  my  Lord  Cavendish,  I  am  unable 
to  name.  I  know,  however,  that  a  part  of  the  army 
is  made  up  of  one  regiment  of  dragoons,  one  battalion 
of  grenadiers,  and  four  regiments  of  Brunswickers. 
In  addition  to  these,  there  are  nearly  2000  Canadians 
serving  as  volunteers,  besides  800  to  1000  Indians 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Carleton  (a  nephevv" 
of  General  Carleton),  who  paints  his  face,  wears  a  ring 
in  his  nose,  and  dresses  like  a  savage.  His  wife  is  a 
"  My  Lady"  and  a  sister  to  the  wife  of  General  Carle- 
•on.     Both    ladies    have   but   recently   arrived   from 


56         First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Caiiada, 

Europe.     Lady  von  Riedesel,  however,  has   not  yet 
come. 

About  four  days  since,  we  heard  for  the  first  time  of 
General  Howe's  fortunate  battle  on  the  27th  of  August 
last.  And  would  it  be  believed  !  We  received  this 
piece  of  news  by  way  of  Quebec  ;  for  by  way  of  the 
South  you  can  hear  nothing  of  what  is  going  on  in 
the  other  Colonies.  A  communication  with  Carillon 
once  opened  up,  it  will  be  easy  to  correspond,  by  way 
of  Albany,  with  New  York.  New  England  and  Vir- 
ginia. The  battle  occurred  on  Long  Island.  The 
English  and  Hessians  stormed  the  enemy's  entrench- 
ments, scaled  and  carried  them.  Those  captured  are 
3  generals  (among  them  Lord  Stirling),  4  colonels, 
18  captains,  42  lieutenants,  11  ensigns,  i  aide  major, 
30  sergeants,  and  1800  soldiers.  Between  3000  and 
4000  rebels  are  killed  or  wounded.  On  our  side,  we 
lost  in  killed  and  wounded  i  colonel,  3  captains,  12 
officers,  and  not  much  over  500  men.  The  enemy 
left  behind  them  their  camp  and  artillery.  General 
Howe  immediately  occupied  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  indeed  rescued  it  from  destruction  ;  for  the  rebels 
intended  to  set  it  on  fire,  and  would  have  done  so,  had 
they  not  had  a  hospital  containing  several  thousand 
men,  whom  it  was  impossible  to  remove  readily. 
More  accurate  details  are  awaited  with  anxiety.  Lieu- 
tenant-General  Burgoyne  will  shortly  sail  for  England 
to  pass  the  winter.  My  correspondence  will  now  be 
closed  for  at  least  four  months,  because  the  St.  Law- 
rence begins  to  freeze  up  at  the  end  of  November, 


First  Brunswick  Campaign  in  Canada,         57 

and  consequently  no  letters  can  leave  Quebec.  Re- 
garding our  officers :  we  have  lost  by  death,  Lieuten- 
ant Katte  and  Ensign  Unverzagt ;  this  is  all.  The 
health  of  our  regiments  is  good.  That  of  Specht's  up 
to  date  has  lost  i  drummer  and  8  men — all  of  whom 
were  Brunswickers.  It  will  astonish  me,  if  the  winter 
in  Canada  is  as  severe  as  they  say  it  is. 


PRIVATE    LETTER     FROM    CANADA, 

WHICH   ARRIVED   IN    LOWER 

SAXONY  AUG.  ist,  1777. 

Parish  of  St.  Anne,  March  9 — April  20,  1777.* 

Your  letter,  dated  Sept.  3,  arrived  on  Dec  13th, 
1 776,  and  was  received  by  me  with  great  pleasure.  Up 
to  the  present  time,  but  few  have  had  the  good  luck 
to  receive  letters  from  the  Old  World,  and,  doubtless, 
many  are  even  now  lying  in  various  places.  It  is 
known  to  a  certainty  that  the  English  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  MacLean,  who  is  also  Adjutant-General  of  the 
army,  has  in  his  possession  a  large  number  of  letters 
brought  with  him  from  England  ;  but  where  he  and 
•his  vessel  is,  is  still  a  matter  of  conjecture.  It  may 
be  that,  not  daring  to  venture  up  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  he  has  put  into  Halifax  for  the  winter  ;  and 
should  such  be  the  case,  we  may  soon  expect  to  re- 
ceive letters  from  home.  For  the  European  news  you 
ihave  given  me  I  am  deeply  indebted  to  you.     The 

*  This    letter,    apparently,   was  written  to   the   writer's 
•mother  and  brother  conjointly. 

58 


Letter  from  Canada, 


59 


■% 


different  items  are  veritable  tidbits,  which  we  may 
look  for  in  vain,  especially  in  the  winter-time,  in  the 
Quebec  newspapers,  though,  in  other  respects,  they 
contain  quite  valuable  pieces  of  Canadian  news. 

You  had  the  kindness  to  manifest  great  interest  at 
our  supposed  lack  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  For  the 
consolation  of  our  friends  at  home,  however,  I  am 
forced  to  state  that  the  account  given  thereof  was  not 
true  ;  neither  was  it  intended  for  a  true  statement  of 
affairs.  Up  to  the  present,  we  have  had  abundance 
of  very  good  beef,  pork  and  mutton  ;  and  since  the 
20th  of  February  there  has  been  no  want  of  chickens^ 
capons,  geese,  ducks,  partridges  and  rabbits.  There 
was,  also,  no  lack  of  white  cabbages,  turnips,  beets 
and  excellent  peas  and  beans,  though  it  is  true  that 
we  could  get  no  cauliflower,  lentils  and  other  varieties 
of  turnips.  We  also  had  to  forego  the  pleasure  of 
eating  the  venison  of  the  deer,  roe  and  wild-boar ;  but 
your  cook  will  tell  you  that  many  varieties  of  dishes 
may  be  made  with  the  different  articles  I  have  already 
enumerated.  Furthermore,  let  me  assure  vou  that 
every  now  and  then  we  have  excellent  fish  ;  and  that 
fine  pastry  can  be  made  with  flour  and  good  butter. 
Roasted  young  bear-meat,  beaver-tails,  and  caribou 
also  taste  well ;  and  when  placed  upon  the  table  not 
only  give  it  an  epicurean  appearance,  but  would  be 
apt  to  convince  you  that  the  eye  and  palate  can  be  ap- 
peased in  Canada,  as  well  as  elsewhere.  My  beloved 
countrymen  of  Lower  Saxony,  however,  can  always 
flatter  themselves  mat  they  alone  possess  the  art  of 


.  1 


6o 


Letter  from  Canada. 


smoking,  pickling  and  curing  meats  as  well  as  making 
bolognas ;  nor  will  the  natives  of  Suabia,  Upper  Sax- 
ony, the  Rhine  Provinces  and  the  Canadians  ever  be 
able  to  equal  them  !  Neither  must  you  imagine  that 
our  common  soldiers  in  this  place  are  deprived  of  any- 
thing in  favor  of  their  officers.  Both  the  former  and 
the  latter  must  take  their  provisions  as  they  get  them, 
for  which  they  are  charged  daily  one  and  a  half  pence. 
To  the  credit  of  our  General-in-Chief  Carleton  be  it 
said  that  throuofh  his  efforts  the  German  soldier  re- 
ceives  daily,  for  this  sum,  i^  lbs.  of  beef  and  i^  lbs. 
of  flour — an  allowance  which  even  the  most  fastidious 
stomach  can  endure.  In  addition  to  the  above  allow- 
ance, the  soldier  also  receives  excellent  English  peas 
and  very  good  Irish  butter. 

Canadians  unite  in  declaring  that  they  have  never 
experienced  such  a  winter  as  the  one  we  have  just 
passed  through.  As  for  ourselves,  we  have  noticed 
no  perceptible  difference  between  the  cold  here  and 
that  of  our  own  country,  though  we  were  astonished 
at  the  even  temperature.  Since  the  24th  of  last 
November,  when  we  had  our  first  snow  and  ice,  we 
have  had  neither  rain  nor  thaw;  in  consequence  of 
which  the  snow  and  ice  have  been  with  us  ever  since. 
There  have  been  numerous  and  heavy  falls  of  fine,  dry 
snow,  which  seldom  last  longer  than  twelve  hours. 
It  can,  therefore,  easily  be  imagined  that  the  earth 
becomes  covered  with  ice  and  snow  to  a  depth  of  five 
or  six  feet.  The  natural  weight  of  the  snow,  and  the 
sun,  which  is  warmer  in  Canada  than  with  us  at  home, 


Letter  from  Canada. 


6i 


contract  the  snow  into  a  solid  mass  upon  which  you 
can  walk,  and  ride,  if  necessary,  on  cold  days.  The 
deep  snow,  the  immense  and  dense  forests,  the  thinly- 
settled  districts  and  level  fields,  the  numerous  large 
rivers  and  lakes,  and  the  cold,  penetrating  north  and 
northwest  winds  cause  Canada  to  he  colder  than  its 
natural  situation  would  warrant.  For  persons  with 
weak  ^ungs  these  winds  are  dangerous;  and  when  they 
are  raging  it  becomes  impossible  to  keep  the  room 
warm. 

The  entire  army  wears  during  the  winter  a  peculiar 
costume,  consisting  of  overalls  made  of  cloth,  and 
extending  from  the  feet  up  to  the  waist,  a  pair  of  large 
mittens,  and  a  cloth  cap  covering  the  head,  neck,  and 
shoulders.  The  English  regiments  wear,  in  addition, 
capots  Canadic7is.  The  St.  Lawrence  River,  which, 
as  a  rule,  becomes  solidly  frozen  every  winter,  has  not, 
up  to  the  month  of  February,  formed  an  ice-bridge. 
Prior  to  the  i6th  of  that  month,  no  ice-bridge  had 
formed  between  Three  Rivers  and  Quebec.  Above 
the  former  town  the  current  destroyed  one  of  these 
bridges,  and  the  detached  cakes  of  ice,  having  become 
jammed  at  our  parish  of  St.  Anne,  and  also  at  that  of 
Les  Grondines,  gave  us  two  ice-bridges  on  the  17th, 
which,  however,  only  lasted  until  the  19th.  One 
experiences  a- curious  sensation  in  driving  for  the  first 
time  across  a  river,  say  three  fourths  of  a  German  mile 
wide,  upon  one  of  these  bridges,  and  seeing  the  open 
and  raging  water*  at  hardly  two  paces  from  you  on 
either  side.     You  imagine  that  the  ice  is  giving  way 


I. 

,(■  -       ( 


62 


Letter  from  Canada. 


beneath  you.  It  cracks,  and  at  times  you  jump  over 
crevices  a  hand  in  width.  The  Canadians  venture  in 
their  carioles  upon  ice  only  four  inches  in  thickness. 

Now,  dear  Mamma,  I  will  tell  you  something  about 
Canadian  domestic  economy.  In  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember the  Canadians  have  a  kind  of  Slaughtering 
Carnival,  in  comparison  with  which  all  similar  events 
in  Europe  sink  into  insignificance.  Within  a  period 
of  from  eight  to  ten  days,  all  the  fat  four-footed  ani- 
mals and  all  the  plump  fowl  in  Canada  are  sacrificed. 
The  cattle  are  cut  up  into  pieces  suitable  for  roasting 
or  boiling,  according  to  the  taste  of  the  owner,  and  the 
poultry  are  plucked  of  their  feathers  without  dipping 
them  into  hot  water  as  with  us  at  home.  The  meat 
of  both  is  then  handed  over  to  the  care  of  Dame 
Nature  until  it  is  thoroughly  frozen,  when  it  is  placed 
in  hangards  [sheds],  so  constructed  that  the  wind 
sweeps  through  them  from  all  sides ;  and  whenever  a 
piece  of  meat  is  wanted  from  time  to  time,  it  is  taken 
out  of  these  receptacles. 

And  now,  dear  Brother,  for  a  few  words  in  reply 
to  your  letter  which  now  lies  before  me,  and  whir^>,  by 
the  way,  consists  of  but  one  and  one-sixteenth  of  a 
page  of  writing-paper  !  It  seems  to  me  that  you  still 
possess  the  qualities  of  a  German  Pliny,  although  I 
could  wish  that  as  long,  at  least,  as  I  remain  in  Amer- 
ica you  would  regard  me  with  more  consideration  and 
manifest  more  of  the  characteristics  of  a  Cicero ! 
Understand,  Brother,  once  for  all,  that  I  am  not  quite 
yet,  as  you  would  insinuate,  a  Canadian  pack-horse  I 


1 1 


Letter  from  Canada, 


63 


The  best  of  my  kit,  it  is  true,  I  carry  with  me  in  my 
pocket,  but  my  baggage  proper  goes  by  Caleches, 
Charettes,  Carioles,  Trutnes,  Bateaux y  Canots  [canoes], 
or  barques.  However,  let  us  now  talk  a  little  about 
hunting. 

No  game,  dear  Brother,  worth  speaking  of  is  to  be 
found  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Parishes,  the  habi- 
tans  having  exterminated  all  the  wild  animals  in  the 
vicinity  of  their  farm-houses.  In  fact,  to  enjoy  real 
hunting,  it  is  essential  that  you  join  one  of  the  nu- 
merous Indian  nations.  You  must  accustom  yourself 
to  their  manner  of  living,  eating,  sleeping,  marching, 
and  swimming,  and  also  be  able  to  travel  four  or  five 
hundred  leagues  into  the  wilderness.  The  hunting 
trips  tha:.  these  savages  undertake  over  mountains, 
rivers,  lakes  and  morasses,  and  the  means  they  employ 
to  surmount  all  difficulties  are  beyond  belief.  They 
will  go  fifty  or  sixty  German  miles  into  a  forest,  build 
cabins  there,  and,  leaving  some  of  their  companions 
behind,  diverge  in  all  directions  in  parties  of  two  and 
three,  and  shoot  anything  they  may  encounter.  At 
the  end  of  four  or  five  weeks,  they  will  return  to  their 
general  camp,  which  they  can  find  as  easily  as  if  a 
plain  and  direct  road  led  to  it.  Generally  speak- 
ing, an  Indian  is  able  to  travel  many  hundred  leagues 
through  wildernesses,  overcoming  all  obstacles  in  his 
way,  and  without  deviating  from  a  straight  course. 
Trees,  leaves,  rivers  and  other  natural  objects  serve 
him  the  same  purpose  as  a  compass.  This  is  a  fine  in- 
stinct, born  with  him  and  not  acquired  by  use,  experi- 


64 


Letter  from  Canada. 


ence  or  long  study  ;  and  when  it  begins  to  dawn  upon 
your  mind  that  these  savages  can  tell  (as  is  very  often 
the  case)  to  what  nation  a  man  belongs  by  examining 
his  footsteps  ;  when  you  learn  furthermore,  that  he 
can  follow  a  trail  through  bushes  and  briers  in  the  dark, 
simply  guided  by  his  sense  of  smell,  the  same  as  our 
hunting-  and  bird-dogs,  you  are  apt  to  be  astonished  at 
the  qualities  that  God  seems  to  have  endowed  these 
people  with,  and  which  you  were  wont  to  believe 
could  only  be  possessed  by  animals.  You  will  often 
find  Canadians  and  Englishmen  hunting  with  these 
people,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  living  in  a  wild 
state  among  them  for  a  number  of  years.  Indeed,  not 
a  year  passes  that  a  number  of  adventurers  do  not 
join  these  Indian  tribes ;  influenced,  it  may  be,  either 
by  a  wish  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  country,  or 
by  a  love  of  hunting,  or  by  a  desire  to  accumulate  a 
stock  of  furs,  and  establish  with  them  at  the  same 
time  a  system  of  trade  and  barter.  Captain  Carleton 
of  the  31st  English  Regiment  and  first  aide-de-camp 
to  his  uncle,  the  Governor  and  General,  has  lived  with 
the  Indians  a  number  of  years  in  this  manner.  He 
went  through  all  the  severe  ordeals  they  subject  them- 
selves to  in  order  to  show  their  fortitude,  and  had 
himself  tattooed  with  the  signs  and  totems  with  which 
they  are  accustomed  to  decorate  themselves.  He  even 
went  so  far  as  to  take  a  wife  from  among  tnem,  and 
he  asserts  that  the  hours  he  spent  with  them  were 
the  happiest  of  his  life.  You  cannot  imagine  a  more 
lefined,  gentle,  friendly,   well-mannered,  and,  at  the 


Letter  from  Canada. 


6s 


same  time,  a  more  unaffected  man  than  Captain  Car- 
leton ;  and  although  his  constitution  has  become 
wrecked  and  delicate,  he  still  continues  to  command 
the  Indians  who  constitute  our  advanced  guard,  and 
by  whom  he  is  greatly  beloved.*  His  present  wife 
is  a  very  handsome  woman,  a  "my  lady"  and  the 
sister  of  the  wife  of  General  Carleton. 

But,  you  ask,  have  we  had  plenty  of  amusement 
this  winter  ?  I  answer,  right  good  !  You  see,  there 
are  a  number  of  seigneurs  and  curds  in  our  neighbor- 
hood, and  with  their  help  and  that  of  our  officers  in 


*  Captain  Christopher  Carleton  (the  officer  here  alluded 
to),  a  nephew  of  General  Guy  Carleton,  is  often  confused 
with  Major  Thomas  Carleton,  a  younger  brother  of  that 
general.  Christopher  (now  Major),  when  the  British  in- 
vaded the  northern  frontier  of  New  York  in  1780,  had  com- 
mand of  the  force  which  crossed  Lake  Champlain,  and  which 
consisted  of  1000  men,  regulars,  loyalists  and  Indians.  He 
was  a  brave  and  zealous  officer,  for  which  qualities  he  was 
complimented  by  General  Haldimand.  He  became  a  lieu- 
tenant-colonel in  the  army,  Feb.  19,  1783 ;  and  died  at 
Quebec  June  14,  1787.  "  For  the  last  eleven  years  of  his  life 
he  served  in  Canada,  with  an  occasional  visit  to  England 
only  ;  and  he  returned  to  Quebec  for  the  last  time,  from  one  of 
these  visits,  Oct.  18,  1786,  in  the  ship  "Carleton,"  accompanied 
by  his  wife,  Lady  Anne  Carleton,  who  was  the  second 
daughter  of  the  second  Earl  of  Effingham  and  an  elder 
sister  of  the  wife  of  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  and  who,  after  the 
death  of  her  husband,  returned  to  England."  For  a  more 
detailed  account  of  Major  Christopher  Carleton,  see  General 
Horatio  Rogers  in  Hadden's  Journal. 


66 


Letter  from  Canada, 


the  vicinity  we  have  been  enabled  to  have  a  convivial, 
sociable,  happy,  and  at  times  a  "high  old  time"!  * 
Our  seigneur  at  St.  Anne,  a  passably  rich  man,  a 
Grand  Inspecteiir  des  For  its  et  des  Eaux  royales  and 
an  aide-de-camp  of  General  Carleton,  paid  us  a  number 
of  visits  accompanied  by  friends,  among  whom  were 
ladies  from  the  city.  Besides  which,  he  has  given  us 
quite  a  number  of  \itt\e  fites  at  his  country-seat.  The 
curSs,  also,  are  not  to  be  despised.  They  are  good 
royalists,  and,  being  the  possessors  of  good  livings, 
are  able  to  furnish  dinners  for  twenty  persons  and 
provide  the  same  with  good  wines.  The  cttr^  at  Batis- 
can,  M.  le  Fevre,  has  given  several  very  elegSLUt /ites 
in  honor  of  General  von  Kiedesel,  and  has  not  forgot- 
ten his  neigh'  ors  at  St.  Anne. 

On  Dec.  28th,  [1776,]  Brigadier-General  Specht 
and  myself  started  to  drive  from  St.  Anne  to  Quebec, 
both  to  pay  our  respects  to  General  Carleton  and,  at 
the  same  time,  to  attend  a  /ite  to  which  we  had 
been  formally  invited.  We  passed  the  night  with 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Ehrenkrook  at  Cap  Santi ;  and 
on  the  30th  paid  our  respects  to  his  Excellency, 
and  dined  with  him.  In  the  evening  we  supped 
with  Lieutenant-Governor  Cramahd  On  the  31st 
there  was  a  great  festival ;  that  day  being  celebrated 
as  the  first  anniversary  of  the  deliverance  of  Que- 
bec, on  which  occasion  the  rebels  lost  their  great 
leader,  General   Montgomery.     At  9   o'clock  in    the 


'*'  This  is  the  exact  expression  in  the  text. 


■  i' 

!! 


Letter  from  Canada. 


67 


morning,  a  thanksgiving  service  was  held  in  the 
Cathedral,  at  which  Monseigneur,  the  Bishop,  offici- 
ated. Eight  unfortunate  Canadians  who  had  sided 
with  the  rebels  were  present,  with  ropes  about  their 
necks,  and  were  forced  to  do  penance  before  all  in  the 
church,  and  crave  pardon  of  their  God,  Church  and 
King.  At  10  o'clock,  the  civic  and  military  authori- 
ties, as  well  as  all  visiting  and  resident  gentlemen, 
whether  Canadian  or  English,  assembled  at  the  Gov- 
ernment-House. All  the  resident  gentlemen  of 
Quebec,  in  accordance  with  their  rank  as  officers  of 
the  militia,  wore  green  suits  with  paille  [straw]  facings, 
waistcoats,  knee-breeches,  and  silver  epaulettes  upon 
their  shoulders.  At  10.30,  his  Excellency  came  out  of 
his  room,  and  received  congratulations.  At  1 1,  accom- 
panied by  Major-General  Riedesel,  Brigadier  Specht 
and  all  of  the  officers  and  English  gentlemen  present, 
he  left  for  a  large  square  in  front  of  the  Recollets' 
Convent,*  where  the  French  militia,  or  Canadian 
citizen-soldiery  of  Quebec,  were  drawn  up  in  eight 
companies.  They  fired  off  three  trains  of  gunpowder, 
lit  bonfires,  and  shouted  Vive  le  Roi!  From  here  the 
company  proceeded  to  the  "  Upper  Town"  where  we 
attended  religious  services  in  the  English  church. 
Here  the  roar  of  cannon  from  the  citadel  intermingled 
with  the  Te  Deum,  while  enthusiastic  citizens  shot  off 
shot-guns  and  muskets  from  their  windows.  At 
3  o'clock,  the  General  gave  a  dinner  to  sixty  persons, 

*  For  a  sketch  of  the  Recollets'  Convent,  see  Appendix. 


68 


Letter  from  Canada, 


at  which  no  ladies,  except  the  two  Lady  Carletons, 
were  present. 

In  the  evening,  at  six,  the  entire  company  started 
for  the  large  English  auberge  [hotel],  where  over 
ninety-four  ladies  and  two  hundred  chapeaux  [gentle- 
men] were  alread;  assc^  )led  in  the  great  hall.  The 
ladies  were  seated  •:  :  '  \rs  ot  raised  benches.  A  con- 
cert was  at  once  be^^  '  ring  which  an  English  ode, 
written  in  honor  of  tne  fes.  >1,  was  sung.  This  ode 
was  composed  of  ariettas,  recitations,  and  choruses. 
During  the  music,  tickets  were  distributed  to  those 
of  both  sexes  who  desired  co  dance.  Every  chapeau 
received  a  ticket  for  a  certain  lady,  with  whom  he  was 
obliged  to  dance  the  entire  evening,  and  which  was 
numbered  i,  2,  etc.  During  these  dances,  some  distinc- 
tion  is  made  between  the  rank  of  the  chapeaux  and  the 
ladies.  Strangers,  however,  receive  preference.  Every 
couple  goes  through  the  minuet  alone,  and  the  ladies  call 
off  the  name  of  the  minuet  to  be  danced.  At  large 
balls  this  custom  becomes  very  tiresome.  English 
dances  are  performed  with  two  couples  ;  and  the  long 
hall  is  divided  off  by  rows  of  benches.  All  strife  for 
precedence,  or,  in  other  words,  pushing,  is  done  away 
with  ;  and  the  Governor  himself,  who  is  not  a  dancer, 
does  everything  in  his  power  to  keep  things  running 
smoothly.  Ladies  wiiO  do  not  care  to  dance  put  on  a 
small  Biigel'Rocke;*  and  gentlemen  who  also  do  not 
feel  like  dancing,  wear  black  cloth  shoes  with  felt  soles. 


*  Literally  an  "  ironed  cloak." 


Letter  from  Canada. 


69 


r 

r 
» 

T 

5 

a 
t 


All  kinds  of  refreshments  were  served  ;  and  notwith- 
standing that  the  place  was  somewhat  confined,  no 
spectator  was  incommoded.  The  streets  in  front  of 
the  hotel  were  alive  with  people.  At  midnight  a  reg- 
ular supper  was  served  at  a  number  of  tables.  It  is 
true  that  the  eatables  were  all  cold  ;  but  delicacies 
and  pastry  could  be  had  in  superabundance.  At 
2  o'clock  dancing  was  again  renewed,  and  lasted  until 
broad  daylight.  All  the  English,  and  the  French 
officers  of  militia  at  Quebec  gave  these//  ;j,  which 
must  easily  have  cost  seven  thousand  reich-tna  ,^\^ 

On  the  following  morning,  or  rather  the  same 
morning  (Jan.  i,  1777),  the  Governor  hel'^  a  Icvie, 
at  which  the  Church,  the  Bar,  the  Arr  y  and  Navy 
and  commercial  life  were  represented.  The  entire 
city  fairly  swarmed  with  carwles,  for  everybody  was 
making  New-Year's  calls.  We  also  made  calls,  but 
were  obliged  to  refuse  a  number  of  invitations.  In  the 
afternoon  we  dined  with  M.  de  la  Naudiere  ;f  and 
in  the  evening  there  was  a  large  assemblage  at  the 
Government- House,  where  play  was  kept  up  at  about 
thirty  tables  till  10  o'clock,  when  every  one  went  home 

*  A  reich-thaler  is  about  equal  to  seventy-five  cents  in 
U.  S.  money. 

f  Charles  Louis  Tarieu  de  Lanaudi^re.  He  accompanied 
his  father-in-law,  La  Come  St.  Luc,  with  a  mixed  band  of 
Indians  and  Canadians,  upon  Burgoyne's  expedition ;  but 
he  seems  not  to  have  taken  a  very  prominent  part  in  that 
campaign,  and  he  returned  to  Canada  before  the  capitulation. 
For  a  detailed  sketch  of  him  see  Haddens  Journal. 


70 


Letter  from  Canada. 


and  to  bed.  On  the  2d  we  dined  with  Colonel  St. 
Leger,  colonel  of  the  34th  Regiment  and  at  present 
commandant  at  Quebec,  and  with  whom  we  had  be- 
come  intimately  acquainted  while  in  camp  at  Cham- 
bly.  As  none  but  gentlemen  were  present,  a  large 
number  of  toasts  were  drunk.*  In  the  evening,  we 
asked  permission  of  the  General  [i.e.  Carleton]  to  re- 
turn, notwithstanding  we  had  been  invited  to  several 
fites^  and  also  to  participate  in  a  sleighing-party,  made 
up  of  one  hundred  carioles,  to  the  country-seat  of 
Dr.  .  This  man  is  a  Doctor  of  Medicine,  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  and  uncommonly  rich.  He  is  the 
Lucullus  of  Quebec,  and,  like  him,  has  no  wife  of  his 
own.f 

On  Jan.  20th,  Major-General  von  Riedesel  cele- 
brated the  birthday  of  her  Majesty  the  Queen  at  Three 
Rivers.  We  covered  the  distance  (7  English  miles) 
in  four  hours,  in  a  cariole,  and  dined  at  a  table  laid  for 
forty  covers. J    Many  healths  were   drunk   in  cham- 

*  This  must  exactly  have  suited  St.  Leger,  who  liked  a 
rollicking  kind  of  life.  See  his  performances  in  this  line  as 
related  in  the  appendix  to  my  **  Sir  John  Johnson's  Orderly 
Book." 

f  The  reader  will  not  fail  to  observe  the  subtle  irony  of 
this  remark. 

:j:  General  Riedesel,  in  giving  an  account  of  this  dinner  (see 
my  translation,  vol.  i.  p.  90),  also  says  forty — a  proof,  inci- 
dentally,  of  the  statement  of  the  writer, — who  appears  to 
have  been  a  person  of  unusual  discrimination  and  accurate 
observation. 


I 


Letter  from  Canada. 


71 


pagne,  while,  in  front  of  the  house,  a  small  cannon  was 
roaring  !  A  ball  was  given  in  the  afternoon  and  even- 
ing, at  which  thiiiy-seven  ladies  were  present.  These 
remained  to  supper,  and  were  waited  on  by  their  cav- 
aliers. The  charms  of  Demoiselle  Tonnancour  were 
greatly  heightened  by  her  jewels  ;  still,  poor  Demoi- 
selle R e,  in  her  faded  calico  gown,  was  preferred 

by  many,  on  account  both  of  her  natural  and  sweet 
charms,  and  the  beauty  of  her  voice.  Know,  my  dear 
sir,  that  the  Canadian  beauties  sing  Italian  and  French 
chansons  ;  and  also  that  numerous  songs,  composed  in 
honor  of  General  von  Riedesel,  have  been  sung  in 
Trois  Rivilres. 

I  note  the  5  th  of  February  as  a  greatyi^/^-day  because, 
on  that  date,  seven  couples  were  married  in  the  church 
at  St.  Anne.  On  this  august  occasion,  the  Brigadier 
led  to  the  altar  a  niece  of  the  curd;  Major  von  Ehren- 
krook,  a  squaw  who  was  to  marry  an  Indian  of  the 
Nation  des  FUes  de  Boule ;  *  and  I,  a  relative  of  the 
Captain  of  Militia.  This  post  of  honor  can  only  be 
filled  when  the  intended  brides  have  no  fathers  to  give 
them  away — their  escorts,  in  such  a  case,  taking  the 
place  of  the  latter.  We  dined  with  the  curd,  were 
entertained  at  the  houses  of  the  different  brides,  and 

*  "  At  Three  Rivers  the  Fetes  de  Boule  tribe  descended  by 
the  northern  waters  to  this  town,  generally  at  the  end  of 
May  or  the  beginning  of  June.  Trade  with  this  tribe  was 
one  of  the  principal  industries  of  Three  Rivers,  and  great 
efforts  were  made  to  direct  it  to  the  town." — Kingsford's 
History  of  Canada. 


;t 


Letter  from  Canada. 


1 1 


were  the  recipients  of  all  those  little  attentions,  courte- 
sies, etc.,  which  obtain  among  our  peasants  at  home 
at  a  marriage-festival.  As  our  musicians  were  in 
Quebec,  and  village  musicians  are  unknown  here,  we 
were  obliged  to  dance  to  the  humming  of  the  tra-la-la 
of  a  Canadian  minuet.  We  also  had  tq  endure  the 
bawling  of  chansons,  sung  from  stentorian  lungs.  On 
account  of  our  services  to  the  brides,  in  giving  them 
away,  etc.,  we  are  considered  by  the  good  people  of 
St.  Anne  as  one  of  themselves ;  for,  from  the  old 
grandmamma  of  70  to  the  young  maiden  of  15  to  17 
years,  they  all  offer  us  their  mouths  to  be  kissed  when- 
ever they  meet  us.  This  is  the  Canadian  greeting  be- 
tween relatives  and  intimate  friends  ;  more  formal  ac- 
quaintances offer  merely  their  hands.  This  custom 
prevails  not  only  among  the  well-to-do,  but  among 
the  lower  classes ;  and  is  one  of  the  rights  of  friend- 
ship. 

I  have  not  heard  from  you  for  so  long  a  time  that  I 
think  your  pen  must  be  frozen.  Therefore  let  me 
tell  you  something  about  Canadian  snow.  One  of  the 
damned  disagreeable  things  to  be  met  with  in  Canada  is 
the  prevalence  of  fierce  winds.  They  rise  generally 
every  third  day,  and  last  about  twelve  hours.  They 
cause  the  snow  to  drift  from  place  to  place,  and  gradu- 
ally to  fill  up  all  the  holes  and  pits  until  they  are  level 
with  the  rest  of  the  land.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  make 
the  surrounding  country  look  very  pretty,  but  it  is 
none  the  less  dangerous  to  travel  without  taking  proper 
precautions ;  otherwise  one  may  tumble  into  one  of 


Letter  from  Canada. 


n 


these  holes  and  break  his  limbs,  or  a  horse  and  sleigh 
may  fall  into  one  and  the  horse  remain  buried  alive  for 
several  weeks  !  In  the  same  manner  as  a  forester  and 
gun-master  in  our  country  can  find  a  remedy  for 
everything,*  so  these  people  over  here  know  how  to 
overcome  all  the  difficulties  incident  to  their  roads  in 
winter.  Every  habita^it  is  compelled  to  keep  the  road 
clear  between  his  own  house  and  that  of  his  nearest 
neighbor,  to  a  width  which  will  allow  two  carioles  either 
to  drive  abreast  or  to  pass  each  other.  To  facilitate 
this,  young  pine-trees  are  stuck  up  on  each  side  of  the 
road,  twenty  feet  apart ;  and  in  this  artificial  alley  one 
can  drive  with  safety.  One  can  scarcely  imagine  how 
these  roads  are  changed,  eithet  by  the  weather  or  the 
force  of  circumstances  ;  and  each  time  a  road  is  shifted 
it  is  renamed  and  the  trees  pulled  up.  The  roads 
across  the  ice  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River  are  staked 
out  in  a  similar  manner ;  and  whenever  a  traveller 
meets  with  a  weak  spot  in  the  ice,  he  is  obliged  to  stop 
and  mark  the  place.  In  fact,  travelling  in  Canada  is 
peculiar;  for  to-day  the  road  may  lead  over  a  hill,  and 
to-morrow  over  a  river. 

Pedestrians,  however,  can  skim  over  the  snow  like 
hares  by  means  of  raqitettes  [snow-shoes],  which  they 
bind  under  their  feet.  These  things  are  very  similar 
to  the    jquettes  we  use  at  home  to  throw  about  a  ball 


*  One  of  the  duties  in  Germany  of  a  forester  or  game- 
keeper is  to  keep  the  guns  and  all  sporting  articles  in  repair, 
and  be  a  general  factotum. 


\ 


74 


Letter  from  Canada. 


1:1 


ill 


of  feathers  [a  shuttlecock],  the  only  difference  being 
that  they  are  twice  as  large.  In  using  them,  one  must 
take  a  long  stride,  at  the  same  time  trailing  his  feet  on 
a  slant.  The  English  regiments  were  busily  engaged 
this  last  winter  in  learning  to  use  them  ;  but  our  regi- 
ments havd  received  none,  as  the  required  number 
have  not  yet  been  finished.  Every  habita7ii  has  such 
a  machine,*  which  he  cannot  do  without  if  he  desires 
to  promenade  about  the  neighborhood. 

Captain  Foyf  of  the  Royal  Artillery,  who  occupies 
at  the  same  time  the  position  of  Adjutant-General  and 
Commissary  of  Musters,  and  who  formerly  command- 
ed a  company  under  Major-General  von  Rhetz  in 
Germany,  and  an  old  acquaintance  of  yours,  has  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  North  America,  having  trav- 
ersed it  in  all  directions  and  looked  at  it  critically, 

""  **  These  are  undoubtedly  the  scritofiuni  of  Paul,  the  Lon- 
gobard.  See  Ihre's  Glossarium  under  the  word  Skiday — 
Note  by  Scluozer.  Our  word  "  skid  "  may  also  be  derived 
from  this  word. 

f  Captain  Eduard  Foy — at  this  time  deputy  Adjutant- 
General,  not  Adjutant-General — resigned  his  position  of 
Commissary  of  Musters  June  6,  1777,  when  promoted  to  a 
full  Adjutant-Generalship.  He  was  appointed  secretary  of 
the  Governor-General  of  Canada  July  i,  1778,  and  died  April 
27,  1779.  His  wife  accompanied  Mrs.  General  Riedesel  to 
Canada  in  the  spring  of  1777,  when  both  ladie?  went  to  join 
their  husbands.  Regarding  the  reference  to  Germany  in 
the  text,  it  may  be  added  that  he  served  with  distinction  at 
the  battle  of  Minden — receiving,  the  day  after  the  bvittle, 
the  thanks  of  Prince  Ferdinand  in  General  Orders. 


fl^ 


Letter  from  Canada, 


75 


with  the  eye  of  an  engineer.  He  has  been  Governor 
■  of  Hampshire  [New  Hampshire],  and  also  has  posses- 
sions in  New  England  ;  but  since  the  Rebellion  he  has 
been  compelled  to  look  at  both  of  them  from  afar ! 
Captain  Phillips  is  really  only  a  Lieutenant-Colonel 
of  Artillery  ;  but,  in  this  war,  he  has,  by  virtue  of  a 
royal  commission,  the  place,  rank  and  pay  of  a 
Major-General,  by  which  title  he  is  likewise  desig- 
nated. General  Carleton,  also,  has  the  real  pay,  rank 
and  honors  of  a  General  of  Infantry,  while  in  England 
he  is  but  a  Major-General. 

We  have  now  been  sitting  for  four  months  in  a 
veritable  prison,  cut  off,  as  we  are,  from  all  communi- 
cation with  the  neighboring  States.  We  await,  impa- 
tiently, the  arrival  of  European  ships,  in  order  not  only 
to  obtain  accurate  news  from  Europe,  but  to  find  out 
what  has  been  going  on  last  autumn  in  New  York, 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  our  adjacent  districts. 
Is  that  not  sad  ?  The  winter  has  been  so  mild  that 
the  streams  in  the  wilderness  of  New  Scotland  [Nova 
Scotia]  have  not  been  frozen  solid.*  As  a  conse- 
quence, no  one  has  been  able  to  use  the  rivers  as  high- 
ways ;  and  even  under  the  most  favorable  conditions 
of  the  ice,  a  single  person  cannot  undertake  a  trip  with- 
out risking  his  life  a  hundred-fold.     In  addition,  the 

*  This  open  winter,  at  any  rate,  cannot  be  attributed 
either  to  the  irrigation  of  the  western  deserts  or  the  chang- 
ing of  the  Gulf  Stream  !  As  a  general  rule,  I  think  it  will  be 
found  that  the  climate  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  is 
about  the  same,  on  the  average,  year  after  year. 


76 


Letter  from  Canada. 


St.  Lawrence  River,  which  seems  to  make  ice  for  no 
other  reason  than  to  break  it  up,  and  which,  further- 
more, as  if  in  sport,  throws  up  masses  of  ice  to  the 
height  of  a  mountain,  only  to  let  it  come  down  with 
a  crash  like  a  house  of  cards,  will  allow  no  vessel  to 
rest  on  its  waters.  Consequently,  this  highway  is  also 
closed  to  us.  The  rebels,  who  are  still  in  possession 
of  Carillon  (which  fort  the  Indians  have  rightly  named 
Ticonderoga,  or  in  French  Cul-de-sac,  because  it  lies 
in  the  cul-de-sac  of  Lake  Champlain),*  hem  in  all  the 
news  which  otherwise  might  reach  us  by  way  of  Al- 
bany, on  the  Hudson  River,  from  our  friends  in  the 
English  North  American  States.  Thus,  there  remains 
to  us  only  one  road  by  which  we  receive  news,  and 
this  leads  through  the  wilderness  back  of  the  English 
colonies,  and  lands  one  fifty  miles  the  other  side  of 
Niagara.  Anybody  who  is  such  a  fool  as  to  travel 
this  road  is  of  necessity  compelled  to  hew  for  himself 
a  path  that  may  not  again  be  trodden  by  human  feet. 
We  have  actually  received  news  by  way  of  this  road, 
although  upon  sifting  it  we  have  found  it  to  consist  of 
nothing  save  rumor.     A  very  intimate  friend  of  mine, 

Captain  W of  the]8th  English  Regiment,  stationed 

for  the  last  five  years  at  Niagara,  and  in  the  smaller 
forts  within  a  distance  of  loo  leagues  from  that  post, 
but  who,  personally,  has  been  attached  to  the  German 
Corps,  and  upon  all  our  marches  and  encampments 

*The  ^xact  translation  of  the  Indian  name  Ticond^roga 
is,  "  There  the  Lake  [i.e.  Lake  Champlain]  shuts  itself." 


Letter  from  Canada. 


77 


has  lodged  with  me,  has,  it  is  true,  furnished  me  with 
news  received  from  his  comrades  at  Niagara.  He  has 
also  sent  the  same  to  the  dry  and  uninteresting  news- 
papers at  Quebec.  Nevertheless,  the  particulars  con- 
tained in  these  despatches  lack  confirmation.  As  yet, 
General  Carleton  has  not  received  the  least  circum- 
stantial or  accurate  information  from  the  army  of 
General  Howe.  This  much,  however,  is  certain,  viz.: 
that  the  rebels  have  sustained  severe  reverses  both  at 
Long  Island  and  at  Kingsbridge.  It  is,  moreover, 
confidently  believed  that  a  portion  of  Howe's  army 
has  entered  Pennsylvania,  and  that  the  Quakers  have 
withdrawn  from  Congress  ;  also  that  Hancock  and 
Franklin — two  of  the  most  important  men  in  that 
body — have  disappeared,  and  it  is  believed  they  have 
gone  to  Europe.*  The  quarters  of  General  Lee,  one 
of  the  foremost  of  the  enemy's  generals,  have  been 
broken  up  by  a  detachment  of  English  light  cavalry. 

Our  nearest  foe,  about  2000  strong,  is  stationed  at 
Carillon,  and  is  battling  with  want  and  misery.  Our 
next  expedition  will  be  acrossf  Lake  Champlain  to 
Carillon  ;  whence  we  shall  probably  march  to  Albany. 
Once  there,  we  shall  have  the  opportunity  to  get  a 
look  at  New  York,  where  many  of  our  adherents, 
friends  and  countrymen,  are  to  be  found.     Mr.  John 

*  This  rumor  was  correct,  so  far  as  Franklin  was  con- 
cerned, he  having  arrived  at  the  French  Court  on  the  2ist 
of  December,  1776. 

t  It  would  have  been  mor*^  nearly  correct  to  say  up  \.iCKt 
Champlain. 


7^ 


Letter  fr 07ft  Canada. 


MacKenna,  an  Irishman  by  birth,  but  raised  at  Lowen 
in  the  Netherlands  and  therefore  half  German,  recently 
fled  from  a  Catholic  congregation  in  New  York  on 
account  of  disturbances  there  to  our  camp,  and  now 
preaches  to  the  Catholic  soldiers  in  the  wilds  of 
Canada,  travelling  from  company  to  company.  He 
has  given  me  good  descriptions  of  New  \^ork,  and 
assures  me  that  the  larger  portion  of  the  law-abiding 
and  prominent  citizens  of  that  town  are  royalists,  but, 
for  the  present,  are  forced  to  remain  passive. 

The  destruction  of  the  enemy's  fleet  upon  Lake 
Champlain  has  been  a  severe  blow  to  them  ;  and,  ac- 
cordingly, we  have  one  less  obstacle  to  overcome. 
Our  operations  will  be  mainly  confined  to  ships;  and, 
for  this  reason,  every  regiment  will  be  supplied  with 
twenty-five  bateaux,  which  they  will  be  compelled 
to  row  themselves.  As  soon  as  the  river  [Sorel]  is 
open  for  navigation,  we  shall  begin  to  drill  our  men, 
so  that  they  can  row  either  in  divisions  or  in  com- 
panies. The  artillery  is  likewise  rr."  '-"ted  on  bateaux 
which  can  quickly  be  collected  so  .?^  ■'   form  batteries. 

We  have  to  adopt  a  peculiar  method  of  warfare  in 
this  country — one  entirely  diff"erent  from  our  systrm. 
In  marching  through  forests  and  underbrush  our  in- 
fantry have  to  march  two  abreast,  and  at  a  distance  of 
eighteen  inches  apart.  Cavalry  cannot  be  used  at  all, 
and  our  dragoons  are  therefore  obliged  to  go  on  foot. 
Our  standards  are  a  great  inconvenience,  and  none  of 
the  English  regiments  have  brought  theirs  with  them. 
Every  English  regiment  has  detached  companies  of 


ki^-r      ^  j!»t* 


letter  fro.n  Cariada. 


79 


grenadiers  and  light  infantry,  combined  into  battalions, 
which  are  very  useful.  The  corps  of  Canadian  Volun- 
teers, under  the  command  of  Canadian  officers,  is  not 
to  be  despised. 

The  Indians,  on  account  of  their  inborn  bestiality, 
are  not  to  be  trusted.  They  are  very  brave,  but  un- 
disciplined ;  and  for  this  reason  have  English  and 
Canadian  officers.  Now,  however,  they  greatly  desire 
to  be  independent,  ai.d,  as  faithful  allies  and  friends, 
to  fight  for  the  king  without  being  commanded  by 
English  generals  and  officers  ;  and  an  Iroke  [Iroquois] 
named  Joseph,  who  has  spent  some  time  in  England 
and  naturally  knows  something  of  the  English  and 
the  savages,  desires  to  achieve  for  himself  a  name  as 
chief  of  an  army  of  Indians.*  Every  means  will  be 
tried  to  prevent  this  ;  for  God  help  those  colonists 
who  are  their  near  neighbors  should  this  scheme  be 
carried  into  effect  !f  The  Indians  are  curious  rogues 
who  go  from  one  extreme  to  another.  I  was  in  Lor- 
etto,  [Lorette]  where  live  that  branch  of  the  Hurons 
which  more  than  eighty  years  ago  embraced  Christian- 
ity and  have  now  become  accustomed  to  cultivate  tlieir 
fields  and  raise  cattle,  and  was  astonished  to  ee  with 
what  tenacity  they  still  cling  to  the  old  customs  of  their 

*  Joseph  Brant — Thayendanega.     See  Stone's  Brant. 

f  As  hinted  at  in  the  text,  Carleton^  who  was  an  exceed- 
ingly humane  man,  undoubtedly  used  all  his  influence  to 
curb  the  ferocity  of  the  Indians.  If  the  writer  was  alive  the 
following  year,  he  saw  his  prediction  fulfilled  in  the  Cherry 
Valley  massacre  by  this  same  "  Joseph." 


8o 


Letter  from  Canada. 


ancestors.  Their  churches  are  very  odd,  and  have 
neither  chairs  nor  benches ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
they  are  filled  with  home-made  wooden  images  of 
what,  at  one  time,  may  have  represented  Hebrew, 
Greek,  Roman  or  more  modern  European  saints. 
Now,  however,  they  are  attired  in  savage  costumes 
and  have  been  beautifully  daubed  with  paint.  I  will 
not  soon  forget  the  good  St.  Peter  with  his  bunch  of 
keys  and  his  painted  face  ! 

I  could  give  you  still  further  droll  accounts  of  the 
Indian  Prince  Athanas,  revered  by  the  savages  within 
a  radius  of  one  hundred  miies  and  who  lives  here,  in 
Loretto  ;  and  also  of  his  princes,  his  sons,  and  his  three 
daughters,  who  are  princesses.  Prince  Athenas,  by 
the  way,  was  cured  of  a  wound  in  the  leg  by  our  Regi- 
mental Surgeon  Br ,  who  since  then   is  esteemed 

by  the  tribe  as  a  veritable  iEsculapius  !  But  the  sands 
in  my  hour-glass  have  nearly  run  ;  and  so  no  more  for 
to-night. 

The  13th  of  April  still  finds  us  in  our  old  W'nter 
Quarters  notwithstr^aiding  our  preparations  for  march- 
ing were  made  three  weeks  ago.  Everything  in 
Canada  depends  upon  the  weather ;  and  during  the 
last  four  weeks  its  changes  have  been  beyond  belief. 
On  the  5t!)  and  6th  of  March  we  had  a  penetrating 
cold  ;  the  /th  was  an  agreeable  spring  day  ;  from  the 
7th  to  the  16th  we*  1  ad  a  continuous  thaw;  and  the 
days  were  so  warm  that  all  the  ice-bridges  on  the  great 
river  (St.  I^awience)  disappeared,  causing  General 
Carleton  ;^reat   a  fficuity  in  returning  from  Montreal 


Letter  from  Canada. 


8i 


to  Quebec.  From  the  i6th  to  the  20th  the  .weather 
was  disagreeable  but  not  cold.  On  the  2otL  a."^d  21st 
snow  again  fell  to  the  depth  of  two  to  three  feet.  On 
the  25th  it  commenced  snowing  so  violently  that  ice- 
bridges  began  again  to  form  across  the  great  river. 
Indeed,  we  have  seldom  had  colder  v/eather  at  home 
during  Christmas  week  than  we  had  here  during  Holy 
Week  and  the  three  Easter  days.  Great  Northern 
Lights  could  be  seen  in  the  heavens  every  evening. 
On  the  3d  and  4th  of  April  we  again  had  a  heavy 
snow-storm,  and  the  cold  was  very  severe.  On  the 
5th  it  was  moderately  cold  :  during  the  evening  of  the 
6th  a  heavy  rain  set  in  ;  on  the  7tli  we  had  several 
severe  thunder-storms  and  a  great  thaw ;  and  on  the 
loth  it  was  so  warm  that  all  the  doors  and  windows 
were  thrown  open  during  the  day,  while  in  the  night 
we  had  another  terrific  thunder-storm.  The  i  ith,  was 
raw  and  damp;  the  12th  very  windy;  and  to-day,  the 
13th,  the  violent  north-west  wind  which  has  been 
raging  since  sunrise  has  caused  the  weather  to  become 
so  cold  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  warm  in 
the  room  ;  while  everything  is  once  more  frozen  as 
hard  as  a  rock.  How  can  an  army  cross  rivers  and 
march  over  execrable  roads  under  such  circumstances  ?' 
The  cracking  of  the  ice  in  the  St.  Lawrence  has 
been  incessant  all  day.  The  violent  wind  has  lashed 
the  river  into  a  fury,  causing  it  to  loosen  huge  cakes 
of  ice  which,  after  throwing  them  up  into  huge  moun- 
tains, it  again  rends  asunder.  In  spite  of  this,  dear 
Brother,  there  are  people  who  either  volantarily  or 


82 


Letter  from  Canada. 


from  compulsion  cross  this  river  in  canoes.  The  fact 
that  two  companies  of  Specht's  regiment  and  one  of 
Rhetz's,  stationed  in  five  parishes  along  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  were  obliged,  in  order  to  obtain  their 
orders  and  provisions,  to  cross  to  the  north  side,  has 
made  it  a  burdensome  affair  for  the  regiments  of  the 
brif^r>  le.  Thank  God  there  have  as  yet  been  no  ac- 
cidents in  our  vicinity.  Up  to  the  present  time  of 
writing,  God  has  spared  us  our  health  ;  and  in  three 
weeks  but  one  man  has  died  in  two  regiments.  Deser- 
tions are  out  of  the  question  in  Canada ;  and  no 
Canadian  would  think  of  helping  a  deserter  along. 

With  our 1   have  spoken  several  times  both  at 

Three  Rivers  and  St.  Anne,  besides  keeping  up  with 
him  an  uninterrupted  correspondence.  We  have  both 
taken  great  pains  to  make  new  discoveries  and  to  study 
up  Canada  thoroufyhly.  This,  novrever,  is  extremely 
difficult;  and  the  stupidity  aid  ignorance  of  the 
Canadians  regarding  their  own  country  is  beyord  be- 
lief.    To  a  certain  extent,  we  already  know  more  than 

they  do  ;  and  G will  soon  become  so  proficient  that 

he  will  be  able  to  send  home  a  beautiful  topographical 
map  of  Canada.  The  Grenadier  Battalion  lies  about 
thirty  leagues  from  us,  on  which  account  I  have  only 
been  able  to  speak  to  two  officers  about  it. 

N.  S. — We  received  news  to-day  (the  20th  of  April) 
that  the  English  ship  London  had  received  orders  to 
refit  and  sail  for  Europe  as  soon  as  possible.  All 
letters  must  be  finished  immediately  in  order  to  get 
them  to  Quebec  in  time.     I  have  already  begun  a  new 


Letter  from  Canada. 


'^l 


letter,  which  I  will  send  by  the  next  vessel,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  summer  I  intend  writing  you  several. 
As  the  thaw  has  set  in  in  earnest,  we  will,  without 
doubt,  begin  our  march  in  about  ten  days. 

Several  days  ago  Ensign  von  B was  drowned  in 

a  stream  no  wider  than  the  Ocker  :  how  it  happened  I 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  learn.  We  have  just  re- 
ceived word  that  the  brave  Captain  Mackay,  with 
twenty-five  Indians,  has  arrived  here  on  his  way  to 
Quebec,  having  been  for  some  weeks  on  a  reconnoi- 
tring trip  through  the  woods  back  of  Crown  Point 
and  Carillon  and  as  far  as  Lake  Champlain.  While  on 
this  scout,  he  dispersed  a  detachment  of  i6  officers 
and  23  men.  Some  of  the  members  of  his  party 
also  told  us  that  a  Hessian  regiment  has  been  sur- 
prised, half  of  it  being  captured  and  the  other  half 
killed.*  On  the  other  hand,  everything  seems  to  be 
going  our  way  in  Pennsylvania.  It  is  also  true  that 
the  rebels  were  badly  whipped  last  year  in  New  York 
and  Jersey.  On  several  occasions  the  Hessians  are 
said  to  have  massacred  the  enemv  in  a  terrible  man- 
ner.  Neither  would  they  give  quarter,  because  the 
rebels  refused  to  grant  an  exchange  of  prisoners. 

Farewell. 


*  In  allusion,  probably,  to  the  route  of  a  Hessian  regiment 
at  Springfield,  N.  J.,  by  Gen.  George  Clinton,  Jan.  5,  1777. 


LETTER  FROM  CASTLETON,  VERMONT. 


Castle-Town  in  New  Hampshire.* 

July  27,  1777. 
We  are  now  in  a  country  called  New  Hampshire. 
It  lies  north  of  the  old  New  England  States,  and  is  100 
to  150  English  miles  in  length,  by  50  to  40  in  breadth. 
This  country  consists  of  so-called  new  Concessions 
[Grants],  which,  notwithstanding  their  name,  have 
been  in  existence  for  more  than  eighty  years.  This 
tract  of  land  is  divided  up  into  squares — 6  to  8  Eng- 
lish miles  long  and  the  same  in  width.  The  inhabi- 
tants seem  to  take  delight  in  calling  these  sub-divi- 
sions Countries,  Districts  or  Provinces.  Then  again, 
each  of  these  squares  is  divided  into  sub-sections  for 
habitations,  and  with  such  exactness  that  all  boundary 
disputes  in  the  future  are  precluded.f  Each  of  these 
squares  has  a  name  and  constitutes  a  small  common- 
wealth of  its  own.     It  either  has  some  rich  man  for 

*  The  present  State  of  Vermont. 

f  The  writer  in  this  remark  was  entirely  mistaken,  as 
witness  the  fierce  and  long  dispute  of  the  '*  New  Hampshire 
Grants,"  between  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire. 

84 


Letter  from  Castle-  Toxvn . 


85 


seigneur,  or  is  made  up  of  free  Jiabitans  who  are  very 
desirous  of  having  a  small  market  town  or  borough 
in  their  midst.  It  thus  happens  that  often  a  name  is 
given  to  a  town  when,  as  an  actual  fact,  no  such  town 
is  in  existence.  This  is  the  case  with  Castle-Town 
which  consists  of  about  seventeen  miserable  houses. 
Clarendon,  Grootland,  [Rutland  ?]  Pultney,  &c.,  are 
neighboring  counties.  If  you  are  desirous  of  obtain- 
ing a  more  lucid  idea  of  this  curious  state  of  things, 
you  will  have  to  write  to  England  for  a  map  of  the 
country  called  "  The  Province  of  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  with  a  portion  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Prov- 
ince of  Quebec,  drawn  by  Mayor  Holland,  1777." 

These  "  Concessions"  [Grants]  are  not  as  thickly 
settled  as  they  might  be,  since  they  are  really  the  out- 
skirts of  the  New  Enijland  States.  There  is  also  a 
wide  difference  between  the  various  counties  in  the 
way  of  population.  In  some,  there  are  from  forty  to 
sixty  houses  ;  in  others  but  twenty  ;  and  in  still  others 
only  seven  or  eight.  Many  of  them  are  but  newly  set- 
tled, and  contain  only  a  few  straggling  houses.  More- 
over, half,  nay,  perhaps  two  thirds  or  five  sixths  of 
these  "  Concessions,"  are  entirely  composed  of  sum- 
mer habitatio7is  merely  ;  for,  in  other  words,  the 
owners  have  built  mere  block-houses,  having  neither 
partitions,  glass-windows,  nor  stoves.  The  probable 
reason  for  this  is,  that  they  live  in  them  only  from  the 
beginning  of  spring  until  autumn.  If  the  head  of  a 
house  has  numerous  sons  or  daughters,  he  buys  one 
of  these  places  for  a  house,  and  either  rents  it  himself 


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86 


Letter  from  Castle-  Town, 


in  the  spring,  or  sends  some  one  of  his  family  to  it, 
who  according  to  his  instructions,  destroys  more  and 
more  of  the  trees  upon  it,  until  arable  land,  meadows 
and  gardens  are  obtained.  In  this  way,  the  land 
around  his  house  increases  in  value  yearly,  until  one 
of  the  sons  or  daughters  marries,  when  it  is  presented 
to  them.  The  young  couple  thus  have  a  roomy  and 
comfortable  house  to  live  in  ;  and  from  a  merely  sum- 
mer habitation  they  convert  it  into  a  very  comfortable 
home.  Thoughtful  fathers  provide,  in  this  manner,  a 
substantial  and  permanent  home  for  their  children — 
situated,  though  they  often  are,  fifty  or  more  English 
miles  from  the  old  homestead.  It  so  happens,  there- 
fore, that  really  elegant  houses,  well  furnished,  are 
often  met  with  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

Very  good  grain,  especially  rye,  is  raised  here  ;  and, 
indeed,  the  fields  and  meadows  for  the  purposes  of 
agriculture  cannot  be  surpassed.  The  pasturage  es- 
pecially is  so  rich,  that  the  Canadian  cattle  would  be- 
come sick  in  feeding  on  it.  It  is  true  that  the  Cana- 
dian horses  are  fifty  per  cent  better  than  those  to  be 
found  here  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  horned  cattle 
are  eighty  per  cent  better  than  those  in  Canada.  The 
oxen  here  would  lose  nothing  in  comparison  with 
those  to  be  found  in  Friesland.  They  plow  and  pull 
heavy  carts  and  wagons,  in  the  construction  of  which 
no  wood  or  heavy  iron  is  spared.  They  (the  oxen) 
pull  them  by  the  aid  of  a  wooden  yoke  attached  about 
their  necks.  The  gardens  are  better  and  laid  out  on  a 
more  sensible  plan  than  those  in  Canada ;  and  a  lover 


Letter  from  Castle-Town. 


87 


of  real,  genuine  trout  ought  to  come  to  Castle- 
Town. 

Many  rattle-snakes  are  to  be  found  in  the  woods  in 
this  vicinity ;  and  we  have  killed  a  number  of  them. 
Their  bite  is  one  of  the  most  poisonous  known. 
Death  invariably  follows  within  twelve  hours,  if  the 
proper  antidotes  are  not  immediately  taken,  or  unless 
the  flesh  around  the  bite  is  not  at  once  cut  out.  As 
soon  as  a  snake  has  been  killed,  some  of  the  habitans 
present  lose  no  time  in  cutting  off  the  head  and  part 
of  the  tail  and  burying  them  in  the  ground  ;  as  they 
believe  that  a  pure  and  clear  stream  would  be  poi- 
soned were  the  severed  parts  to  be  thrown  into  it.  On 
one  occasion,  they  begged  of  us  a  snake  which  one  of 
our  party  had  killed,  and  made  of  it  a  very  palatable 
soup.  In  all  seriousness,  however,  even  the  English 
regard  the  rattle-snake  as  a  delicacy  ;  and  prefer  it  to 
the  best  eel,  especially  if  made  into  a  soup,  which  is 
said  to  have  a  delicious  flavor.  These  delicacies  are 
extremely  welcome  in  the  kitchen  of  General  Bur- 
goyne.  It  may  be  that  I  am  prejudiced,  but  none  of 
it  for  me  !  Thanks  !  Recently,  I  had  some  green 
soup  with  Brigadier  Fraser  ;  but  of  what  it  was  made 
I  do  not  know ;  and  perhaps  if  I  had  I  might  not 
have  tasted  it  !  It  was  a  turtle  soup  ;  and  now  I 
know  that  bo7iillo7i  can  hardly  have  more  strength  or 
taste  better ! 

The  States  of  New  York  and  New  England  are 
now  engaged  in  a  desperate  lawsuit  in  regard  to  the 
ownership  of  the  tract  of   land  (where  we  now  are) 


88 


Letter  from  Castle-Town, 


called  the  "  New  Hampshire  Grants."  *  I  do  not 
wish  to  interfere  in  the  matter  or  take  sides ;  there- 
fore I  am  unable  to  state  whether  my  feet  at  present 
are  resting  on  New  England  or  New  York  soil ! 

In  view  of  our  difficulty  with  the  rebels,  as  they 
are  called  by  the  English,  or  with  the  "  rebellers,"  as 
they  are  termed  by  our  people,  it  is  probable  that  we 
will  have  to  appoint  a  day  for  a  new  term  of  court  to 
be  held  in  the  near  future  at  Fort  Edward,  and 
at  which  a  decision  will  be  given  as  to  who  shall 
be  master.  Here  [i.e.  Fort  Edward],  for  instance, 
we  have  Mr.  Putnam  [Gen.  Israel  Putnam]  stationed 
with  his  corps.  Fort  St.  George,  on  Lake  George 
(formerly  called  Lac  Sacrament),  is  likewise  occupied 
by  the  rebels.  American  nutslf  Regarding  the 
sentiments  of  the  various  colonists,  they  vary  in  each 
district.  In  Pultney  the  feeling  is  entirely  in  favor 
of  the  rebels,  and  all  the  houses  are  empty.  In 
Castle-Town  one  third  are  royalists,  and  two  thirds  are 
rebels.  Clarendon  is  neutral,  etc.,  etc.  On  an  aver- 
age, you  may  estimate  that  at  the  utmost  one  sixth 
are  royalists,  one  sixth  are  neutral,  and  four  sixths 
are  rebels ;  and  in  this  computation  I  hardly  believe 

*  If  the  reader  is  at  all  curious  about  this  controversy,  he 
is  referred  to  my  "  Life  of  Governor  George  Clinton"  in  the 
"Magazine  of  American  History"  for  June  1879,  where  the 
subject  is  treated  quite  in  detail. 

f  That  is,  "American  nuts  for  us  to  crack"! — referring  to 
the  problem  of  driving  General  Putnani  and  his  corps  from 
Fort  Edward,  and  the  rebels  from  Fort  George. 


\\ 


Letter  from  Castle-  Town. 


89 


that  I  overestimate  the  numbers  of  the  Americans 
(rebels).*  Very  few  put  themselves  out  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance,  and  numbers  maintain  a  neutrality, 
very  likely  on  account  of  our  proximity  and  their 
possessions.  In  all  truth,  we  are  human  and  kind 
enough  to  these  unhappy  people.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  rebels  act  in  a  harsh  and  barbarous  manner 
toward  those  of  their  neighbors  who  manifest  a  friendly 
feeling  toward  us,  and  who  have  had  the  placards 
of  an  army  placed  upon  their  farms  and  houses  in 
order  to  protect  them.f  As  I  said  before,  most  of  their 
houses  are  deserted,  the  inhabitants  having  fled  into 
the  interior  with  their  goods  and  chattels.  Conse- 
quently, any  cattle  that  they  have  left  behind  them 
have  become  our  lawful  prizes.  Thank  Heaven  we 
are  no  longer  obliged  to"  live  on  daily  rations  of  pork 
and  lard,  for  had  we  continued  to  live  on  these  salt 
viands  the  consequences  to  our  health  in  this  heated 
climate  would  have  been  very  pernicious. 

The  colonists,  withal,  are  large,  handsome,  sinewy, 

*  This  statement  only  corroborates  how  mistaken  Lord 
George  Germain  was  in  planning  the  Burgoyne  Expedition 
— thinking  that  all  New  England  would  flock  to  the  Royal 
Standard.  This  has  been  fully  and  admirably  brought  out 
in  Professor  John  Fiske's  recent  work  on  the  "  American 
Revolution.." 

t  Undoubtedly  the  cruelties  were  not  all  on  one  side. 
Prof.  Fiske,  in  his  work  above  referred  to,  puts  it  correctly 
when  he  says :  "  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Whigs  and 
Tories  were  alike  guilty  of  cruelty  and  injustice." 


90 


Lett,  r  frofn  Castle-  Town. 


I! 


well  built,  strong  and  healthy  men.  The  young 
women  are  white  [i.e.  fairj,  well  formed  and  plump, 
and  give  promise  of  a  numerous  and  healthy  progeny. 

You  must  know  that  there  are  many  different  sects 
in  America  who  are  distinguished  from  each  other  by 
their  dress  and  their  beards.  It  is  a  fact,  that  several 
of  the  inhabitants  actually  inquired  of  us  as  to  what 
religioi.  our  grenadiers  belonged ;  nor  could  they  be 
made  to  believe  that  they  all  had  one  religion  because 
they  wore  mustaches ! 

In  the  open  field  the  rebels  are  not  of  much  count, 
but  in  the  woods  they  are  redoubtable.  At  the 
present  time  v/e  are  almost  continually  marching 
through,  and  living  in,  forests.  It  is  on  such  occasions 
that  the  rebels  lurk  in  the  woods  and  dart  from  tree 
to  tree.  In  their  skill  as  marksmen*  they  may  be  com- 
pared with  our  peasants  in  Sollinger :  their  riflemen 
are  terrible.  The  latter  wear  a  short  white  shirt  over 
their  clothes,  the  sleeves  being  bordered  by  a  number 
of  rows  of  white  linen  fringes.  A  rebel  invariably 
looks  for  protection  to  his  musket,  which  is  very 
long.  They  load  their  guns  with  three  small  and 
three  somewhat  larger  bullets ;  bad  enough  for  him 
whom  they  h't.  Nearly  all  of  the  wounded  in  the 
affair  at  Hubert-Town  had  three  or  four  wounds — all 
caused  by  one  shot.  We  have  some  consolation, 
however,  in  the  fact  that  their  muskets  will  not  send 
a  bullet  farther  than  eighty  paces  ;  and  they  would 

*  Literally,  "  in  their  ability  to  hit  an  object." 


Letter  from  Castle-  Town . 


91 


find  themselves  in  a  sad  fix  if  our  soldiers  could  shoot 
as  well  as  they.  They  respect,  however,  the  prowess 
of  our  riflemen.  From  a  military  point  of  view,  the 
officers  of  the  rebels  do  not  cut  much  of  a  figure  ; 
though  an  exception  to  this  remark  should  be  made 
in  the  cases  of  Captain  Grobschmidt  [Goldsmith  ?] 
Lieutenant  Becker,  Ensign  Schneider,  etc. — all  tried 
men.  You  will  also  find  that  man}-  of  the  privates  in 
the  American  army  are  superior  in  station,  in  private 
life,  to  these  superior  officers  ;  but  in  the  above  cases 
they  evidently  prefer  military  manceuvresto  eating. 

Our  Indians,  whom  we  brought  with  us  from  Can- 
ada, and  who,  while  there,  were  supposed  to  be  Chris- 
tians, or  nearly  so,  have  since  behaved  like  hogs. 
When  it  comes  to  plundering  they  are  on  hand  every 
time  ;*  and  most  of  them  have  remained  at  Ticon- 
deroga  and  Skeenesborough  [now  Whitehall,  N.  Y.]. 
While  here  they  have  filled  themselves  with  rum  in 
true  military  style.  But  few  of  their  leaders  remain 
true ;  and  after  every  campaign  they  get  "  full,"  and 
remain  in  that  condition  until  they  reach  home,  when 
thay  begin  to  brag  of  their  deeds  while  away.  The 
Indians  who  are  attached  to  the  corps  of  Colonel  St. 
Leger  are,  on  the  contrary,  of  a  better  quality,  but  as 
yet  we  do  not  know  where  they  are  ;  perhaps  we  will 


*  An  exact  translation  ;  in  fact,  the  reader  cannot  fail  to 
observe  how  many  of  our  slang  or,  perhaps,  idiomatic,  ex- 
pressions are  the  same  both  in  German  and  English. 


92 


Letter  from  Castle-Town, 


soon  hear  from  them.*  A  Mr.  S:.  Luc  has  also  500 
savages  with  him,  which  he  has  brought  from  distant 
northern  countries.f  Among  them  are  some  Ona- 
toais.J  The  Onatoais  have,  hitherto,  been  bitter  ene- 
mies of  the  English  ;  and  in  former  wars  dejlf  them 
many  severe  blows.  This  is  the  first  instance  of  their 
taking  up  arms  for  the  English. §  These  Indians  are 
uncivilized,  large-framed,  warlike  and  enterprising,  but 
as  fierce  as  Satan.  They  are  accused  of  being  canni- 
bals. This,  however,  I  do  not  believe,  notwithstand- 
ing that  they  are  capable  of  tearing  their  enemies  to 
pieces  with  their  tee'th  when  infuriated. |     In  all  prob- 

*  The  writer  to  his  chagrin  probably  heard  very  soon  after- 
ward where  both  the  Indians  and  St.  Leger  were — flying 
like  stags  before  the  hunters  of  the  Mohawk  Valley !  Vide 
Stone's  ''  Branty'  and  "Sir  John  Johnson's  Orderly  Book." 

t  In  my  "  Orderly  Book  of  Sir  John  Johnson,"  published 
by  Munsell's  Sons,  Albany,  N.  Y.,'the  reader,  if  he  cares,  will 
find  the  names  of  all  these  Indian  nations  under  St.  Luc. 
They,  indeed,  came  from  distant  northern  countries,  coming 
from  miles  beyond  the  Great  Lakes. 

X  Ottawas ;  called  also,  by  contemporary  writers,  Ottawa, 
Ottoauay,  Ottoaua,  Ottosa,  Ottouaua. 

§  And  he  might  have  added,  through  the  influence  of  St. 
Luc,  who  was  most  shabbily  rewarded  for  his  services  by  the 
English  Government. 

I  It  remains,  nevertheless,  the  fact,  that  the  Indians — espe- 
cially the  Ottauas — did  practice  cannibalism  ;  whether  be- 
cause  they  fancied  the  flesh,  or  because  they  thought  that  to 
eat  of  the  meat  of  their  enemies  it  would  make  them  brave. 
This  is  corroborated  by  proofs  too  numerous  to  mention. 


Letter  from  Castle-Town, 


93 


ability  there  is  no  truth  in  the  story  that  they  keep  a 
supply  of  human  flesh  on  hand,  for  they  seem  to  like 
the  flesh  of  bullocks  too  well.  Their  carriage  be- 
speaks their  loyalty,  and  their  savage  decorations  and 
ornaments  become  them  quite  well ;  indeed,  their 
whole  appearance  is  a  soldierly  one.  Mr.  St.  Luc,* 
who  is  a  Canadian  himself,  participated  in  several 
campaigns  with  them  against  the  English  during  the 
last  war  (i.  e.,  the  war  which  lost  Canada  to  the 
French),  and  in  some  respects  became  a  terror  to  the 
English  colonists. f  He  is  still  said  to  have  a  large 
number  of  English  scalps  in  his  possession.  He  is 
about  sixty  years  of  age,  still  very  lively  and  active, 
and  has  only  iccently  been  released  from  his  captivity 
among  the  rebels.  He  is  rich.  M.  de  La  Naudidre, 
who  is  his  son-in-law,  has  taken  a  command  under  him 
lately — a  circumstance  which  astonishes  me  greatly. 

I  have  just  been  agreeably  surprised  to  receive  your 
letters  dated  February  24th  and  March  2d.  I  have  now 
received  six  letters  in  all  from  you  during  the  present 
year.  I  have  also,  at  this  moment,  received  the  joyful 
news  that  the  ship  "  Isabelle  Dorothea,"  with  eighty- 


The  reader,  however,  is  referred  to  Kip's  "  Early  Jesuit  Mis- 
sions," where  the  writer  furnish2S  from  the  narratives  of  the 
early  Jesuit  Fathers  full  proof  of  this  statement. 

*  For  an  account  of  St.  Luc  see  my  "  Burgoyne's  Cam- 
paign,"  Appendix. 

t  St.  Luc  was  the  instigator  of  many  of  those  forays  on 
the  New  England  settlements  which  kept  that  province  in 
constant  nlarm  and  terror  for  so  many  years. 


94 


Letter  from  Castle-Town. 


four  recruits  on  board,  and  which  had  been  given  up 
for  lost,  has  arrived  safely  at  Quebec. 

We  have  just  parted  from  our  beloved  bateaux 
which  brought  us  from  Canada,  and  so  safely  carried 
us  and  our  plunder  over  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Sorel  * 
rivers  and  Lake  Champlain,  to  our  present  place  of 
abode.  Our  men  have  become  good  boatm^^n,  and 
toward  the  last  any  bateau  contained  a  good  naviga- 
tor [steersman].  The  remainder  of  our  voyage  [jour- 
ney] will  henceforth  be  made  on  land.  From  neces- 
sity our  baggage  has  been  greatly  reduced,  and  many 
officers  will  have  nothing  but  their  knapsacks. 
Horses,  of  course,  are  scarce  and  very  dear,  and  those 
transports  of  horses  that  are  gradually  arriving  from 
Canada  will  be  used  for  drawing  the  cannon,  maga- 
zine-wagons, etc.  Nevertheless,  I  have  two  horses, 
and  perhaps  kind  Providence  will  provide  me  with  a 
third  one.  Most  of  the  officers,  also,  have  been  able 
to  secure  at  least  one  horse. 

July  22d:  The  rebels  have  been  polite  enough  to 
vacate  Fort  George.  We  are,  consequently,  finally 
masters  of  Lake  St.  Sacrement,  a  great  advantage  to 
us,  as  we  can  now  bring  up  our  provisions.  They 
seem,  however,  inclined  to  lead  us  a  dance  about  Fort 
Edward ;  and  we  are,  therefore,  already  beginning  to 
brighten  up  our  steps  for  the  occasion. 

On  July   24th  we   marched   to  the  Leading-Place 

*The  river  running  from  Lake  Champlain  into  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  also  called  the  Richelieu  and  the  St.  John's. 


Letter  from  Castle-  Town. 


95 


[Landing-Place],  and  on  the  25th  to  Skeenesborough. 
The  English  corps  has  advanced  as  far  as  Fort  Anne,* 
and  to-morrow  we  will  follow  them.  The  enemy  has 
left  Fort  Edward.  We  intend  to  start  for  Albany, 
and  to-morrow  will  send  officers  to  Canada  to  hasten 
forward  all  of  our  recruits  and  other  things  that  we 
left  behind  in  that  Province. 

*  It  was  while  Burgoyne  was  at  Fort  Anne  that  the  Jane 
McCrea  tragedy  occurred — a  tragedy  which  in  no  way  seems 
to  belong  to  the  dim  past,  when  it  is  stated  that  Robert 
Ayers,  the  messenger  sent  to  Jane  by  her  lover,  David  Jones, 
was  the  father-in-law  of  the  h<-e  Ransom  Cook  of  Saratoga 
Springs.  Mrs.  Cook,  who  (1891)  is  still  living,  is  the  aunt  of 
Mr.  Nelson  Millerd  of  New  York  City. 


SENT  AUG.  31,  1777,  FROM  THE  CAMP  AT 

DUAR  HOUSE.*  BY  A  NATIVE  OF 

BRUNSWICK.  SERVING  IN 

BURGOYNE'S  ARMY. 


if 


Fort  Edward,  Aug.  7,  1777. 

The  heat  in  this  vicinity  is  uncommonly  severe, 
and  exceeds  that  of  the  warmest  summer  day  in  our 
own  country.  Almost  daily  we  are  visited  by  thunder- 
storms which,  while  being  terrific,  pass  away  very 
quickly  and  do  not  last  as  long  as  with  us  at  home. 
They  do  not,  however,  cool  the  atmosphere  after  they 
are  over ;  and  in  the  night — more  especially  toward 
morning — there  is  such  a  heavy  fall  of  due  and  mist, 
that  it  penetrates  through  our  tents  into  our  blankets 
even,  causing  them  to  become  soaking  wet. 

On  Aug.   9th   Brigadier  Eraser  marched  with  his 

*  Duers  House.  Built  by,  and  the  residence  of,  Judge 
Wm.  Duer.  He  bought  this  property  (at  Ft.  Miller,)  from 
Gen.  Ph.  Schuyler.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Gen.  Wm. 
Alexander,  known  as  Lore'  Stirling  in  the  Revolution.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress  in  1777,  and  died 
in  New  York,  May  7,  1799. 

96 


Letter  from  Duers  House, 


97 


corps  and  the  Indians  toward  Fort  Miller.  He,  in 
turn,  was  followed  by  Colonel  Baum  with  a  separate 
corps,  consisting  of  a  regiment  of  dragoons  and  bodies 
of  Indians,  Canadian  provincials,  etc.,  and  also  several 
other  detachments  belonging  to  the  brigades  of 
Brigadiers  Fraser  and  Specht,  and  the  corps  of  Colonel 
Breymann.  Colonel  Baum  took  with  him  two  Eng'-sh 
six-pounders  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Bach. 
Colonel  Baum's  object  in  making  this  march  was  to 
make  a  foray  with  521  men  into  the  now  thickly  settled 
districts  of  New  Hampshire  and  the  other  old  English 
provinces  or  so-called  townships.  It  was  hoped  that  by 
this  movement  our  labors  in  obtaining  provisions 
would  not  only  be  lightened,  but,  by  collecting  to- 
gether the  cattle  remaining  in  the  deserted  homesteads 
of  the  rebels,  and  by  buying  the  same  from  friendly 
farmers,  we  would  have  a  fresh  supply  of  provisions. 
At  the  same  time,  we  expected  to  obtain  horses  and 
draught  cattle,  by  means  of  which  our  army  could  ad- 
vance with  greater  celerity.  This,  too,  was  the  more 
desirable  when  it  is  remembered  that  our  march  had 
more  than  once  been  retarded  by  the  arduous  efforts 
of  our  soldiers  trying  to  obtain  even  the  smallest 
necessaries  of  life.  In  order  to  make  this  state  of 
things  clear  to  you,  I  would  have  to  write  pages.  If, 
however,  it  be  taken  into  consideration  that  the  army, 
in  these  parts,  eat  bread  composed  of  flour  which  has 
been  prepared  in  England,  also  meat  which  has  been 
salted  in  the  same  country,  and  that,  before  it  can  be 
put  into  pots  and  thence  into  our  mouths,  it  has  to  be 


98 


Letter  from  Duers  House. 


transported  by  men  (because  horses  and  carts  are 
scarce  in  this  country)  over  oceans,  wide  streams, 
large  tracts  of  land,  waterfalls,  etc.,  it  can  readily  be 
seen  that  to  devise  means  to  obtain  these  necessaries 
for  the  army  is  an  undertaking  of  great  responsibility 
for  a  commander-in-chief ;  more  especially,  also,  is 
this  the  case  if  the  commander-in-chief  has  to  execute 
all  these  things  in  the  face  of  an  enemy — an  enemy 
who  must  at  once  be  driven,  if  possible,  from  any 
commanding  position  he  may  occupy,  so  as  not  to 
leave  him  to  devastate  his  own  lands  to  our  detriment. 
Colonel  Baum  was  accompanied  by  two  English  officers 
belonging  to  General  Riedesel's  suite,  and  also  by  Gov- 
ernor Skeene,  who  represented  the  commander-in- 
chief.*  These  three  were  to  regulate  all  matters  per- 
taining to  the  necessaries  which  we  expected  to  find, 
in  such  a  manner  that  no  hue  and  cry  could  be  raised 
by  the  Americans  regarding  atrocities. 

On  the  nth  of  August,  a  musketeer  from  Cologne, 
named  Fasselabend,  was  placed  in  front  of  Riedesel's 
regiment  and  shot  by  the  pickets  belonging  to  the 
army.  He  had  deserted,  gone  over  to  the  enemy,  and 
accepted  their  pay,  but  had  been  recaptured  by  us. 

Aug.  i2tk:  Brigadier  Fraser  is  stationed  on  the 
Hudson  River  opposite  Saratoga.  General  Arnold, 
of  the  enemy's  forces,  is  at  Stillwater. 

*  That  is,  Burgoyne :  and  it  would  have  been  greatly  to 
the  advantage  of  that  general  had  he  had  nothing  to  do 
with  General  Skeene.  See  "  Burgoyne's  Campaign "  and 
"  Ramsay's  Revolutionary  War." 


Letter  from  Duers  House, 


99 


Aug.  iTfth:  Colonel  Breymann  and  his  grenadiers, 
together  with  a  battalion  of  riflemen  (yagers),  broke 
camp  and  started  on  a  march  for  Fort  Miller.  Colonel 
Baum  has  begun  his  march  toward  the  neighborhood 
of  Bennington.  ^ 

Aug.  liifih:  The  army  to-day  marched  seven  Eng- 
lish miles  down  the  Hudson,  and  encamped  at  Fort 
Miller.  Rhetz's  regiment  marched  from  Jones's  House 
toward  Fort  Edward  ;  and  the  Hessian-Hanau  Regi- 
ment from  Fort  Anne  to  Jones's  House — thus  occupy- 
ing our  old  quarters.  Brigadier  Eraser  has  crossed 
the  Hudson  and  now  lies  at  Saratoga.  Colonel  Brey- 
mann, on  the  other  hand,  still  remains  on  this  side  of 
the  river  opposite  Saratoga.  It  was  terribly  warm  to- 
day, and  many  of  the  men  ran  the  risk  of  being  suffo- 
cated while  on  the  march.  Fort  Miller  is  situated  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Hudson  [i.e.  left  bank]  and  is 
entirely  in  ruins.  It  never,  indeed,  consisted  of  more 
than  a  block-house  and  a  magazine  surrounded  by 
palisades.  The  army  is  now  encamped  at  Duar's 
House.  Mr.  Duar  [Duer]  is  a  member  of  the  rebel 
Congress  and  also  commissary  of  the  army.  His 
country-seat  here  is  built  of  wood,  but  is  large  and 
tastefully  arranged.  It  is  the  first  real  country-seat 
that  I  have  seen  since  my  departure  from  Portsmouth. 

Aug.  i^tk:  Colonel  Breymann  was  obliged  to 
march  to  the  assistance  of  Colonel  Baum,  twenty-five 
English  miles  distant.  He  took  with  him  two  Eng- 
lish 6  pounders,  under  the  command  of  the  Hesse- 
Hanau,  Lieutenant  Spangenberg.    Colonel  Breymann 


i 


lOO 


Letter  from  Duers  House. 


left  his  camp  in  the  same  condition  as  the  dragoon 
regiment,  which  left  its  tents,  baggage  and  standards 
behind. 

Aug.  i6th:  A  bridge  was  thrown  across  the  Hud- 
son, and  the  army  received  orders  to  proceed  on  their 
march  [to  Albany]  the  following  morning. 

Aug.  ijtk:  During  the  night,  or  rather  toward 
daybreak,  Capt.  M.  de  Lanaudi^re,  who  had  left  us 
with  Baum's  corps,  arrived  with  the  news  that  Baum's 
corps  had  surrendered  at  discretion  to  ihe  enemy,  at 
St.  Coick's  Mill,  not,  however,  without  a  desperate  re- 
sistance, nor  until  all  their  powder  had  been  shot  away. 
Yesterday  afternoon,  and  before  Colonel  Breymann 
could  come  to  their  assistance,  the  enemy,  who  was 
estimated  at  about  4000  men,  attacked  Baum's  corps 
on  all  sides.  Baum  had  intrenched  himself  with 
his  regulars  on  an  elevation,  as  well  as  time  and  cir- 
cumstances would  permit.  These  troops  consisted 
of  his  dragoon  regiment,  not  more  than  150  men 
strong,  and  the  infantry  detachments  that  had  been 
sent  along  with  him.  He  was  thoroughly  convinced 
(mark  you)  that  Colonel  Breymann  was  marching  to 
his  assistance,  and  he,  therefore,  resolved  to  hold  his 
position  that  he  might  not  loose  any  of  his  cattle, 
horses  and  flour — the  great  objects  for  which  he  had 
been  sent  by  Burgoyne  on  this  foray — and  which  he 
had  already  accumulated  before  the  battle.  The 
country  people  of  the  neighborhood  not  only  had  ac- 
cepted the  proclamation  of  General  Burgoyne,  but  had 
gone  in  crowds  to  Governor  Skene,  and  taken  the  oath 


m. 


Letter'  from  Duers  House, 


lOI 


of  loyalty  to  the  king.  But  these  same  disloyal  people, 
who  had  just  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance,  soon  after- 
ward attacked  the  corps  of  Baum  as  the  bitterest  of 
foes.  Meanwhile,  a  strong  detachment  of  the  enemy's 
regulars  from  Stillwater  had  incited  the  inhabitants 
within  a  radius  of  twenty-four  English  miles  and  more, 
to  arm  without  exception.  These  suddenly  came  out 
of  the  woods  from  all  sides.  The  Indians,  Canadians, 
and  Provincials  were  dispersed,  and  Colonel  Baum 
attacked  with  fury  on  all  sides.  Eye-witnesses  have 
asserted  that  the  rebels  on  this  occasion  fought  with 
desperation,  advancing  to  within  eight  paces  of  cannon 
loaded  with  slugs,  so  that  they  might  more  easily 
shoot  down  the  artillerymen.  The  defence  of  Col- 
onel Baum  was  equal,  apparently,  to  such  an  attack  ; 
for  three  times  the  enemy  were  forced  to  retreat 
before  his  fire.  At  last,  however,  the  cartridges  were 
exhausted,  and  Baum's  two  cannon  silent  from  lack 
of  powder.  At  this  vital  moment,  the  enemy  threw 
themselves  fiercely  upon  our  men  ;  and  Baum  and 
his  dragoons,  sword  in  hand,  and  the  infantry  with 
their  bayonets,  endeavored  to  hew  a  path  through 
the  enemy's  lines  into  the  woods.  But,  alas  !  at  this 
point  the  narrative  ceases ;  and  up  to  the  present 
moment  we  are  still  uncertain  as  to  the  fate  of  our 
brave  brothers.  Many  are  perhaps  dead  ;  still  more 
wounded  ;  and  the  rest  are  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  comminders  of  the  above-mentioned  light 
troops  belonging  to  Baum's  corps,  have  all  saved 
themselves  with  the  exception  of  a  certain  Lieutenant 


I02 


Letter  from  Duers  House. 


i'l 


Sallans  of  the  9th  English  regiment,  and  a  Swede 
by  birth,  who  is  dead.  One  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
men  belonging  to  the  infantry  of  the  German  regi- 
ments are  missing,  and  their  fate  is  uncertain.  We  ex- 
pect, within  a  short  time,  to  hear  more  accurate 
details ;  and  many  are,  without  doubt,  still  living. 
Counting  the  well  and  sick  dragoons,  and  also  the  re- 
cruits from  this  regiment,  over  eighty  men  are  still  fit 
for  duty. 

Through  this  same  bearer  of  evil  news,  M.  de  Lanau- 
diere,  we  have  also  learned  that,  soon  after  the  first 
unlucky  affair,  Colonel  Bre^mann  also  became  en- 
gaged in  a  heated  affray  with  the  enemy  ;  but  as  to  the 
termination  of  which  he  can  tell  us  nothing.  As  one 
verified  dispatch  after  another  reached  us,  to  the  effect 
that  Colonel  Breymann  was  retreating  safely,  the 
army  remained  encamped  on  the  river  Battenkill.* 
Burgoyne  and  the  47th  Regiment,  however,  waded 
through  the  river,  and  marched  to  meet  Breymann. 
Toward  4  o'clock  Breymann's  corps  arrived  in  the 
camp,  greatly  fatigued  by  the  engagement,  the  heat  of 
the  day,  and  their  forced  marches.  It  appears  that 
yesterday  afternoon,  about  4  o'clock,  Breymann  ar- 
rived at  St.  Coick's  Mill,  and  saw  the  enemy  stationed 
upon  an  eminence.  He  was  not  then  aware  that  any- 
thing serious  had  happened  to  Baum's  corps.  He 
had,  however,  learned  from  a  dragoon  on  horseback, 

*  This  is  not  a  river,  but  merely  a  large  stream,  which 
empties  into  the  Hudson,  almost  opposite  the  present 
'•  Marshall  House,"  the  place  described  by  Mrs.  Riedesel. 


Letter  from  Duers  House. 


103 


that  Baum  was  in  great  danger  *  Accordingly,  with 
his  two  battalions,  he  lost  no  time  in  advancing  rapidly 
upon  the  enemy  ;  attacked  furiously  ;  dislodged  them 
successively  from  three  different  eminences  in  the 
woods,  and  forced  them  to  retreat  to  a  distance  of  a 
mile.  However,  the  numerical  superiority  of  the  enemy, 
together  with  constant  reinforcements  from  the  neigh- 
boring villages,  and  finally  the  scarcity  of  powder  and 
ball,  obliged  his  seemingly  victorious  corps  to  retreat. 
This  was  made  in  safety.  The  cannon,  however,  ow- 
ing to  all  the  horses  having  been  killed,  were  left  be- 
hind. From  the  fact  that  this  engagement  took  place 
in  a  dense  woods,  with  thick  underbrush,  we  at  present 
do  not  know  our  actual  losses.  Many  of  our  wounded 
were  of  necessit)iJeft  behind.  One  captain,  one  lieu- 
tenant, and  fourteen  men  are  dead.  This  we  know  to 
be  a  certainty.  Lying  wounded  in  the  hospitals, 
are  one  major,  two  captains,  one  lieutenant  of  the 
Rifles,  one  lieutenant  of  the  Artillery,  and  sixty- 
three  men.  The  wounded  .re  in  a  tolerable  condition 
and  most  of  them  will  again  be  fit  for  service.  The 
fate  of  five  officers  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
men  who  are  missing  is  unknown.  Colonel  Breymann, 
whose  coat  was  pierced  by  five  bullets,  received  a  flesh 
wound  upon  his  left  leg,  notwithstanding  which  he 
remained  with  his  corps.  This  evening  he  again  took 
possession  of  his  old  quarters,  and  the  army  re-occu- 

*  This  statement  is  rather  singular  when  it  is  remembered 
(see  •*  Burgoyne's  Campaign")  that  Breymann  had  been  sent 
to  the  rescue  of  Baum  by  Burgoyne. 


I04 


Letter  from  Duers  House, 


pied  their  old  camp.     Eraser's  corps,  however,  took 
up  a  position  on  the  Battenkill  river. 

Aug.  \%th:  General  Riedesel  advanced  with  the 
47th  Regiment  to  Jones's  House,  and  the  regiment  of 
Rhetz  and  Hesse-Hanau,  with  a  train  of  artillery, 
did  the  same.  This  movement  was  made  for  the  pur- 
pose of  covering  Fort  George,  whence,  at  very  great 
inconvenience,  we  have  to  bring  all  our  provisions 
and  other  necessary  articles  for  the  army.  This  has 
kept  us  busy  up  to  the  present  time,  during  which  we 
have  remained  in  peaceful  possession  of  our  quarters. 
Many  Albanians  have  come  to  us,  and  very  soon  we 
will  have  an  entire  regiment  of  Provincials.  Over 
five  hundred  horses  have  also  arrived  from  Canada. 
Colonel  St.  Leger  has  captured  Fott  Stanwix  on  the 
Mohoc  [Mohawk]  River,*  and  will  soon  join  his  forces 
to  ours,  and  advance  upon  the  enemy.  Lord  Corn- 
wallis,  also,  is  on  the  march  with  a  corps  of  Howe's 
army,  and  both  armies  [Burgoyne's  and  Howe's]  will 
strive  to  effect  a  junction.  The  unfortunate  occur- 
rences at  St.  Coick's  Mills  have  not  dampened  our  ardor. 
V/e  regret  nothing  except  the  loss  of  brave  friends 
and  men.  This  small  piece  of  good  luck  has  cost  the 
enemy  dear,  and  they  have  learned  to  know  the  worthy 
of  their  foe.  They  did  not  dare  to  follow  Colonel 
Breymann  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  gren- 
adier companies  of  Rhetz  and  Specht  must  have  been 


*  Of  course  a  mistake.    On  the  contrary,  St.  Leger  had  to 
beat  a  hasty  and  ignominious  retreat. 


Letter  from  Duers  House. 


105 


to 


in  the  thickest  of  the  fray  during  the  retreat,  since 
they  have  the  largest  number  of  officers  and  men 
missing.  To  fight  in  desolate  forests  and  thick  under- 
brush is  ticklish  work  ;  and  one  company  in  advance 
of  another,  can  easily  become  fortunate  or  unfor- 
tunate. 

Aug.  2'jth:  A  deserter  from  the  9th  English  Regi- 
ment was  shot  before  the  whole  camp.  It  is  true 
that  deserters  are  treated  with  great  severity  ;  but  it  is 
also  true  that  up  to  the  present  time  there  has  never 
been  an  army  in  which  desertions  have  been  so  scarce. 
You  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  the  enemy,  through 
its  emissaries — who  are  partly  of  English  and  partly  of 
German  extraction — is  trying,  by  every  means  in  its 
power,  to  induce  our  soldiers  to  desert. 

But,  dear  friend,  when  shall  you  hear  again  from 
me,  and  when  shall  I  again  receive  news  from  you  ? 
Mother  Canada  has  given  her  children  their  dowries, 
and  from  her  we  need  expect  nothing  more.  We 
must  get  our  living  by  the  strength  of  our  arms,  and 
with  them  hew  a  path  which  will  lead  us  to  it  either 
in  the  neighborhood  of  our  friends  or  enemies,  or 
have  it  brought  to  us  across  oceans  and  seas  from 
Europe.  Such  will  probably  be  the  case  with  our 
correspondence.  So  do  not  be  astonished  if  a  long 
time  elapse.'  ere  you  again  receive  a  letter  from  me. 
May  the  winds  soon  waft  joyful  tidings  to  you  over 
the  sea ;  and  by  the  same  means  may  they  convey 
good  news  to  me  of  your  continued  prosperity  and 
your  faithful  remembrance  of  your  friend. 


A   PRIVATE    LETTER   FROM    NEW    ENG- 
LAND,  NOV.  15,  1777,  TO  OCT.  10,  1778.* 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  Nov.  15,  1777. 

My  Dear  Friends  : 

At  last  we  have  arrived  at  Cambridge,  where  we 
poor  unfortuiiates  can  claim  neither  to  be  free  nor 
captives.  If  I  were  to  write  and  tell  you  that  every 
thing  is  as  it  should  be  here  I  would  be  stating  a  base 
falsehood.  However,  if  I  wished  to  excite  your 
sympathy  to  the  highest  pitch  by  my  complaints,  I 
fear  I  should  afterward  regret  the  tears  I  should  cause 
to  flow.  The  Americans,  who,  for  politeness  sake, 
are  no  longer  termed  Rebels  or  Yankees,  are  very 
often  unable  to  determine  to  which  class  of  people  in 


! 


*  As  is  well  known,  Burgoyne's  defeat  at  Saratoga 
changed  the  whole  complection  of  affairs  for  the  colonists. 
This  great  event  is  here  described  even  to  the  most  minute 
details  by  an  eye-witness,  who  has  the  great  faculty  of  mak- 
ing the  reader  imagine  hirr.self  an  eye-witness  of  these  stir- 
ring events. — Note  by  Schlozer. 

106 


Letter  from  New  England. 


107 


their  state  we  properly  belong.*  It  is  true  that  we 
are  somewhat  confined.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  are 
allowed  a  well  delined  circle,  the  bounds  of  which  we 
are  not  to  overstep  under  penalty  of  being  sent  to 
the  prison-ship  or  shot.  We,  however,  make  the 
most  of  the  little  liberty  we  possess  in  our  villages  of 
palisades,  and  now  arl  then  play  the  gentleman 
among  our  conquerers. 

You  are  doubtless  very  anxious  to  know  exactly 
how  we  arrived  at  the  High  School  of  Cambridge 
where  the  students  live  in  the  well-built  Collegio  Har- 
vardino ;  attend  college  in  comical-looking  dressing- 
gowns,  and  are  summoned  three  times  daily  to  break- 
fast, dinner,  and  supper,  by  the  sound  of  a  bell.  Paper 
and  ink,  however,  are  too  dear  in  this  place,  to  go 
into  minute  details  of  occurrences  from  the  ist  of  Sep- 
tember up  to  the  present  time.  I  will,  however,  do 
the  best  I  can.  Speaking  confidentially,  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  it  was  that  we  got  here  and  into  this  predica- 
ment, for  it  is  a  subject  that  has  caused  much  think- 
ing, speaking,  and  writing,  and  will,  doubtless,  cause 
much  more  of  the  same.  But  you  may  take  my  word 
of  honor  for  it,  and  rest  assured  that  it  was  neither 
the  fault  of  the  army  nor  its  behavior ;  and,  further, 
that,  notwithstanding  the  reverses,  we  are  still  able  to 
meet  the  gaze  of  our  still  more  successful  comrades 


*  The  writer's  meaning  is  not  quite  clear.  Perhaps  his 
idea  is  that  they  are  unable  to  classify  the  prisoners  accord- 
ing to  their  social  position. 


io8 


Letter  from  New  England, 


with  courage  and  confidence.  For  a  similar  reason 
the  army  cannot  accuse  its  commande*  '  liief.  On 
the  contrary,  it  believes  that  he  will  eventually  right 
himself  before  his  king,  his  country,  and  the  rest  of  the 
world.  Perhaps  the  story  of  our  march  over  seas, 
rivers  and  mountains,  and  through  forests  and  wilder- 
nesses will  cause  our  successors  either  to  forego  it,  or 
to  make  other  preparations  before  undertaking  the 
same  journey.  For  the  latter  purpose,  our  experi- 
ences can  furnish  a  small  practical  text-book. 

My  last  letter  to  you  ended  with  a  description  of 
the  unfortunate  affair  at  Bennington,  and  since  then 
we  have  been  unable  to  send  even  a  line  to  Europe. 
Notwithstanding  that  we  have  the  wide  ocean,  which 
furnishes  us  with  oysters,  shell  and  other  fish,  close  at 
hand,  and  notwithstandmg,  also,  that  this  same  ocean 
still  affords  us  the  means  of  communication,  I  am  un- 
able to  know  whether  this  letter,  which  I  have  written 
to  my  friends  on  the  Ockcr,  will  reach  them.  If  I  had 
had  my  say  when  the  articles  of  capitulation  were  drawn 
up,  I  would  have  seen  to  it  that  the  safe  forwarding 
of  letters  was  embodied  in  a  14th  article.  The  wise- 
acres, however,  have  only  put  into  the  Convention 
treaty  thirteen  articles — one  it  would  appear  for  each 
Province.*  Since  last  April  my  eyes  have  read  no 
letter  of  yours.  The  wine  which  you  so  kindly  sent 
me  from  Lower  Saxony,  actually  got  as  far  as  Caril- 


*  As  our  writer  says,  The  Convention  treaty  consisted 
only  of  thirteen  articles. 


Letier  from  New  England. 


109 


Ion,  on  Lake  Champlain,  but  it  could  not  be  trans- 
ported over  the  wretched  thirty-six  miles  from  that 
post  to  Fort  George — at  which  place,  had  it  come,  we 
would  gladly  have  unloaded  it,  notwithstanding  the 
terrible  heat  of  the  weather ;  and  so  I  was  forced  to 
forego  the  pleasure  of  drinking  it. 

In  the  affair  at  Bennington  those  actually  killed  were 
Colonel  Baum,  Reineking,  master  of  the  horse  ;  Cap- 
tain von  Schieck,  Lieutenant  Mlihlenfeldt,  and  Hager- 
mann,  color-bearer.  Lieutenant  d'Annieres,  Jun.,  died 
of  dysentry  a  few  days  afterward  in  captivity.  Lieu- 
tenants Breva  and  Gebhard  are  severely  wounded  and 
prisoners.  Cornet  Stretzer,  Color-bearer  Specht,  and 
Chaplain  Melsheimer*  are  slightly  wounded  and  pris- 
oners. Major  von  Barnerand  Lieutenant  Hannemann 
managed  to  escape,  but  were  so  severely  wounded  that 
they  had  to  be  brought  back  to  Canada.  Colonel  Brey- 
mann  and  Captains  von  Geusau  and  Von  Gleissenberg 
were  wounded — the  latter  severely.  Those  who  man- 
aged to  escape  without  wounds  but  were  captured,  are 
Major  von  Meiborn,  captain  of  horse.  Von  Schlagen- 
teufle,  Jun.,  Captains  von  Bartling,  Sen.,  Dommes  and 
O'Conell,  Lieutenants  von  Reckrodt,  Von  Bothmar, 
Meyer  and  Burghoff,  and  the  cornets  and  color-bearers 
Graff,  Schdnewald  and  Andra.  Those  officers  are  in 
the  vicinity  of  Westminster  [Vermont],  and  are  divided 
up  among  the  various  farm-houses. 

*  Chaplain  Melsheimer  afterward  deserted  to  the  Ameri- 
cans.  I  have  his  journal,  a  very  rare  work,  which  I  have 
recently  translated  for  the  Quebec  Historical  Society. 


no 


Letter  from  New  England. 


\\\ 


This  affair  was  to  us  a  severe  blow.  It  caused  us 
to  halt  in  the  midst  of  a  successful  march.  The  magra- 
zine  at  Bennington  escaped  our  outstretched  hands ; 
and  we  were  therefore  again  obliged  to  fall  back  upon 
our  stores  of  flour  and  salt  meat  stored  at  Fort  George. 
Meanwhile  our  army  remained  encamped  at  Duar's 
House,  and  Major-General  von  Riedesel  was  forced 
to  take  up  his  position  with  a  corps  at  "Jones's 
House."  All  our  regiments  were  now  engaged, 
though  without  interruption,  in  the  difficult  task  of 
bringing  up  the  necessaries  for  the  remainder  of  the 
campaign  in  boats.  It  was,  moreover,  very  laborious 
work  to  get  around  the  rapids  between  Fort  George 
and  Saratoga  by  the  carrying-places,  on  account  of 
the  scarcity  of  carts  and  horses.  My  dear  sirs,  only 
think  of  it !  It  was  Ajgust,  the  hottest  time  of  the 
year,  when,  although  sitting  quietly  in  our  tents,  we 
could  hardly  draw  breath.  The  dysentery  was  also 
causing  fearful  havoc  among  us  ;  and  notwithstanding 
it  all,  we  were  obliged  to  work  like  beavers,  since  the 
very  life  of  our  army  depended  on  our  doing  so.  In- 
deed, I  really  believe  that  in  honor  of  our  misfortunes 
a  stone  will  hereafter  be  erected  between  Ticonderoga 
and  Albany,  with  this  inscription:  Vestigia  me  terrent! 

Enough  time  was  gained  by  the  enemy  by  their 
lucky  coup  at  Bennington  to  allow  three  brigades  to 
join  them.  General  Gates,  the  favorite  of  the  New 
Englanders,  assuming  the  command.*  The  farmers  left 

*  The  reason  why  Gates — that  malicious  and  cowardly  in- 
tiiguer — was  at  this  time  the  favorite  of  the  New  Englanders, 


Letter  from  New  England. 


Ill 


their  ploughs,  the  blacksmiths  their  anvils,  the  shoe- 
makers, tailors,  etc.,  their  several  vocations,  and  came 
as  volunteers ;  while  from  all  the  provinces  of  New 
England  regiments  of  militia  came  swarming  in  to 
join  the  forces  under  General  Gates.  Thus  within 
fourteen  days  the  force  of  the  enemy  was  augmented 
to  14,000  men.  Meanwhile  General  Arnold  was  sent 
against  Colonel  St.  Leger,  who  was  on  the  point  of 
capturing  Fort  Stanwix  on  the  Mohawk  River.  The 
rumor  that  our  entire  army  had  been  defeated  -^it  Ben- 
nington had  already  travelled  in  advance  of  Arnold  ;* 
and  this,  in  connection  with  the  fact  that  St.  Leger 
found  his  position  none  too  favorable,  caused  him  to 
raise  the  siege  and  return  to  Oswego. 

General  Burgoyne  now  resolved  to  concentrate  his 
army  and  give  battle  to  the  enemy,  who  had  already 
advanced  from  Stillwater.  This  determination  gave 
great  satisfaction  and  enthusiasm  in  the  army.  All 
articles  that  could  be  dispensed  with  were  sent  back  to 
Diamond  Island  in  Lake  George.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  I  am  now  wearing  a  ragged  coat  and  most  pitia- 
ble-looking shirts.  However,  the  same  state  of  things 
exists  with  all  of  us. 


eft 


was  because  he  had,  with  a  view  of  supplanting  Schuyler  of 
New  York,  lost  no  opportunity  of  offensively  declaring  that 
the  Government  of  New  York  was  entirely  wrong  in  the 
matter  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants.  See  Fiske's  "Amer- 
ican Revolution,"  where  this  fact  is  fully  brought  out. 
*  A  new  fact. 


112 


Letter  from  New  England. 


On  the  nth  of  September  our  entire  army  made  a 
still  further  advance  against  the  enemy. 

On  the  13th,  14th,  and  15th  we  crossed  the  Hud- 
son on  a  bridge  of  boats — the  enemy  meanwhile 
falling  back  upon  Stillwater.  And  now  we  had  again 
a  repetition  of  salt  meat  and  flour  for  our  diet.  My 
dear  friends,  do  not  despise  these  royal  victuals,  the 
cost  of  the  transportation  of  which  from  England 
must  have  been  a  right  royal  sum.  Pork  at  noon, 
pork  at  evening,  pork  cold,  and  pork  warm  !  Friends, 
you  who  at  home  are  able  to  dine  upon  green  peas  and 
shell-fish,  might  have  looked  down  upon  our  pork 
with  disdain  ;  for  us,  however,  pork  was  a  kingly  viand, 
without  which  we  would  have  starved.  In  fact,  if  we 
had  had  pork  enough  we  would  not  now  be  here  in 
Boston.*  Our  hospital  was  forced  to  follow  us, 
otherwise  the  enemy  would  have  captured  it.  All 
communication  with  Lake  George  and  Carillon, 
and  consequently  with  Canada,  now  ceased. 

On  the  15th  of  September  we  took  up  a  position 
at  Dovogat's  House  ;  regaled  ourselves  once  more  with 
excellent  vegetables,  and  slept  upon  straw,  large 
heaps  of  which  were  to  be  found  in  the  neighboring 
fields.  That  it  had  not  been  threshed  did  not  ma- 
terially affect  our  comfort.  This  good  fortune  was 
the  first  of  the  kind  we  had  experienced  in  America, 
and  we  appreciated  it. 


*  That  is,  if  the  supplies  even  of  pork  had  not  given  out, 
Burgoyne  would  not  have  surrendered. 


Letter  fro77t  New  England. 


113 


On  the  1 6th,  several  regiments  started  upon  a  recon- 
noitring expedition,  and  also  to  repair  ruined  bridges 
and  roads  ;  and  on  the  17th,  we  advanced  two  and  a 
half  English  miles  to  Soarts'  [Swords']  House.* 

On  the  i8th,  the  enemy  seemed  inclined  to  dispute 
our  right  to  repair  a  number  of  bridges  ;  and  finally  we 
were  obliged  to  send  out  entire  regiments  to  cover  our 
workmen. 

On  September  19th,  both  armies  encountered  each 
other  in  a  swamp.  The  neighborhood,  which  consist- 
ed of  wooded  knolls,  ravines,  morasses,  etc.,  was  the 
cause  of  amazing  mistakes  on  both  sides.  On  account 
of  these  obstacles  the  several  columns  of  our  army  pre- 
sented to  the  enemy  a  front  of  the  width  of  two  and 
one  half  English  miles.  The  left  wing,  consisting  of  the 
German  regiments,  all  the  heavy  artillery,  and  the  47th 
English  Regiment,  under  the  command  of  Major-Gen- 
eral  von  Riedesel,  had  no  hand  in  the  first  engage- 
ment, because  they  were  marching  along  the  river  flats. 
Our  grenadiers  and  light-infantry  battalion,  which  to- 


*  A  son  of  the  Swords  who  built  this  house  was  for  many 
years  a  respected  bookseller  in  New  York  City.  There  is 
a  tablet  now  in  existence  in  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  in 
the  alcove  of  the  Astor  Memorial,  south  side,  and  which  was 
erected  by  Trinity  Church  corporation,  oearing  this  inscrip- 
tion :  *'  In  Memory  of  |  Thomas  Swords  |  who  was  for  fifty 
years  an  eminent  |  Publisher  and  Bookseller  in  this  city  |  and 
for  twenty-five  years  a  vestry  |  man  of  this  Church  |  Born  in 
i  Fort  George,  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  |  January  5,  1764. 
I  Died  in  this  city  |  June  27,  1843." 


114 


Letter  from  New  England, 


gether  with  Eraser's  corps  formed  the  right  wing,  took 
part  in  the  conflict.  Colonel  Breymann,  in  particular, 
had  the  honor  to  strike  the  enemy's  flank,  which  had 
hemmed  in  the  24th  English  Regiment,  with  such  force 
that  they  speedily  withdrew.  Colonel  Breymann,  who 
by  this  movement  had  again  established  communica- 
tion between  Fraser's  corps  and  the  rest  of  the  army, 
gained  special  laurels.  His  battalion  also  lost  but  few 
either  in  killed  or  wounded.  Towards  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  our  centre,  consisting  of  the  9th,  20th, 
2ist,  and  62d  English  regiments,  under  the  command 
of  Brigadier  Hamilton,  became  fiercely  engaged  with 
the  enemy.  The  firing  still  continuing,  Captain  of 
Artillery,  Johnson,  supported  the  English  brigade  with 
a  brigade  of  artillery  ;  and,  at  the  same  moment,  that 
old  veteran.  Major  Williams,  with  many  groans  and 
curses,  also  brought  up  several  of  his  "  thunderers"  from 
over  the  hills.  The  enemy,  on  the  other  hand,  brought 
up  fresh  brigades  one  after  another.  Hamilton's  bri- 
gade maintained  itself  bravely  ;  and  notwithstanding 
it  had  been  forced  several  times  to  retreat,  it  again 
advanced  and  victoriously  occupied  its  former  posi- 
tion. Finally,  General  Burgoyne  sent  word  to  Gen- 
eral von  Riedesel,  on  the  river  bank,  to  send  as 
many  troops  as  he  could  spare  from  the  left  wing  to 
the  assistance  of  Hamilton's  brigade.  Thereupon 
General  Riedesel,  turning  over  the  command  of  the 
left  wing  to  Brigadier  Specht,  and  leaving  the  latter  to 
oppose  the  already  advancing  front  of  the  enemy,  took 
with  him  two  companies  of  Rhetz's  regiment  under 


Letter  from  New  England, 


115 


command  of  Captain  Fredersdorf,  and  two  6-pounders 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Pausch  of  the  Hesse- 
Hanan  artillery,  and  hastened  to  the  relief  of  Bur- 
goyne.  He  reached  Hamilton's  brigade  when  it  was 
in  its  last  struggles  and  upon  the  point  of  retreating. 
He  at  once  fell  upon  the  enemy's  flank  with  great 
success,  Captain  Pausch  at  the  same  time  raking  them 
with  a  murderous  fire  of  grape.  The  result  was,  that 
the  English  regiments,  being  thus  infused  with  fresh 
courage,  re-formed  themselves,  and  with  loud  hurrahs 
threw  themselves  furiously  upon  the  enemy.  The 
latter  fled  and  left  us  in  possession  of  the  battle-field, 
acknowledged  victors.  The  sun  soon  afterward  went 
down,  and  night  hid  the  flying  enemy  from  our 
view.* 

The  action  of  to-day  has  caused  the  house  of  a  poor 
farmer  to  become  famous  ;  for  it  has  given  to  this  day's 
engagement  the  name  of  the  "  Battle  of  Freeman's 
House."  t    None  of  the  officers  belonging  to  our  Ger- 

*  When  it  is  stated  that  Riedesel,  Pausch,  the  writer  of 
this  letter,  and  other  reliable  eye-witnesses  all  concur  in  say- 
ing that  the  Germans  saved  the  fortunes  of  this  day,  it  seems 
almost  incredible  that  Burgoyne,  neither  in  his  despatches  nor 
subsequently  in  his  explanations  before  Parhament,  should 
scarcely  have  mentioned  Riedesel  and  his  help.  If  it  sprung 
from  petty  jealousy,  it  was  unworthy  of  Burgoyne,  who, 
whatever  his  failings  as  a  military  man,  bore  a  character  for 
highmindedness. 

f  Afterwards  known  as  the  "  Battle  of  Freeman's  Farm." 
Connected  with  this  Freeman's  farm  is  a  rather  curious  in- 
cident.    A  Michael  Condon,  who  died  this  year  (1891),  was 


1 16 


Letter  from  Neiu  England. 


man  corps  was  killed  or  vvound(  d,  and  of  its  men 
only  eighteen  were  either  wounded  or  killed.  The  62d 
English  regiment,  however,  suffered  severely  ;  for  out 
of  300  of  its  men  who  went  into  the  action,  three 
officers,  one  under-officer,  and  forty-nine  privates  were 
killed,  and  eight  officers,  nine  under-officers,  and 
ninety-two  men  wounded.  Ten  of  the  English  officers 
were  killed,  among  whom  were  the  brave  Captain  of 
Artillery,  Johnson,  and  Captain  Monnin  of  the  Cana- 
dian Volunteers,  whose  eleven-year  son  had  fought  by 
his  side.*     Our  poor  wounded  were  brought  down  to 

in  his  youth  a  day-labores  on  this  farm.  He  had  been  set 
to  work  digging  ;  and  when,  at  noon,  the  owner  of  the  place 
came  along,  he  found  a  {.ost-hole  dug  in  the  ground,  in 
which  there  were  yet  one  or  two  gold  pieces  scattered 
around.  These,  as  the  owner  of  the  farm,  he  claimed  and 
took.  A  year  afterward  Condon  bought  and  paid  for  a  very 
expensive  farm  in  the  vicinity,  which  is  known  to  this  day  as 
"  The  Battle  Farm  ;"  and  while  no  one  could  say  positively 
that  it  was  bought  with  gold  that  he  had  secreted,  yet  none 
doubted  the  fact.  Burgoyne's  treasure-chest,  if  the  gold 
came  from  that,  was  therefore  of  some  benefit ! 

*  In  this  connection  it  will  be  of  interest  to  mention  that 
probably  the  last  survivor  of  this  action  was  Colonel  George 
Williams,  a  nephew  of  Major  Griffith  Williams  (mentioned 
in  the  text)  who  commanded  on  this  occasion  Burgoyne's 
artillery.  He  was  a  cadet  at  the  time  (see  General  Rogers 
in  Hadden' s  Journal  for  the  duties  and  pay  of  cadets,  p.  156), 
and  was  but  twelve  years  of  age — but  one  year  older  than 
Captain  Monnin's  son.  This  youngster  is  said  to  have  carried 
the  flag  of  truce  into  the  American  lines  on  the  capitula- 
tion  of  Burgoyne.     At  the  end  of  the  American  War  he 


Letter  from  New  Emgland. 


117 


the  low  ground  on  the  river-bank.  No  houses  were 
near  at  hand  to  carry  them  into,  nor  did  we  have  help 
enough  to  tie  up  their  wounds.*  There  was  no  help 
for  it,  therefore,  but  for  th^jm  to  remain  in  the  open 
air  during  the  entire  niglr  t  (which  had  becom.e  bitterly 
cold  and  freezing)  until  the  next  day,  when  tents  were 
put  up  for  their  use.  This  experience  constitutes  a 
truly  American  evil,  for  which  there  appears  to  be  no 
remedy. f 

On  the  20th  of  September  we  took  up  a  position  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  in  which 
they  had  now  ensconced  themselves,  being  separated 
from  them  by  forests  and  ravines. 

On  the  2ist,  the  enemy  decidedly  objected  to  our 
hewing  paths  through  the  forest  to  our  advanced  out- 

jcined  H.  M.  20th  Regiment,  and  served  with  it  for  twenty- 
three  years  in  Jamaica,  St.  Domingo,  and  Holland,  and  also 
on  the  staff  of  General  Crampagne  in  Ireland  during  the 
French  invasion  of  1798.  He  represented  Aston  in  the 
first  reformed  Parliament,  and  died  at  Little  Woolton,  near 
Liverpool,  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  88.  See  "  Forty  Years  in 
Ceylon."  By  the  late  Thomas  Skinner.  London,  Allen 
&  Co.  1 891."  I  am  indebted  to  my  warm  friend  John  J. 
Dalgleish  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  whose  grandfather  served 
under  Burgoyne,  for  bringing  these  facts  to  rny  notice. 

*  The  writer  is  hardly  correct  here.  There  were  two 
small  log-houses,  and  one  frame  one  of  two  rooms,  in  the 
latter  of  which  Genera'  Fraser  died.  See  my  translation 
of  Madame  Riedesel's  le'.ters. 

t  The  writer  means,  I  suppose,  that  no  way  had  yet  been 
found  to  supply  hospital  facilitie.s. 


ii8 


Letter  from  New  England. 


posts.  This  gave  rise  to  several  skirmishes,  which, 
however,  did  not  amount  to  much.  From  this  time 
on  we  turned  out  every  morning  an  hour  before  day- 
break to  enjoy  the  morning  air,  which  was  composed 
partly  of  hoar-frost,  and  partly  of  a  mist  so  dense  that 
you  could  in  very  truth  grasp  it  with  your  outstretched 
hands.  Nor  did  it  entirely  disappear  before  nine  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon.  During  the  day  it  was  hot  enough 
to  melt  one.  We  intrenched  our  quarters,  placed  all 
our  guards  and  pickets  in  a  circle  around  our  camp, 
and  protected  them  by  means  ofredoubts  and  batteries. 
In  ;he  rear  of  our  camp  we  also  placed  two  large  re- 
doubts for  the  protection  of  our  magazines,  trains,  and 
hospitals.*  In  a  word,  our  encampment  was  a  copy 
of  that  at  CroffdorfT  in  1759.  Then  we  cut  down 
several  thousand  trees,  not  only  to  give  our  cannon 
more  play-room,  but  also  to  increase  the  efficiency  of 
their  range.  Soon  we  began  to  feel  the  scarcity  of 
many  articles.  We  could  not  obtain  anything  from 
Carillon,  nor  in  this  wilderness  could  anything  be 
had  ;  while,  to  make  matters  still  worse,  the  enemy 
had  cut  off  all  means  of  communication  with  Albany. 
One  bottle  of  poor  red  wine  cost  2  reich-thaler  and  8 
groschen  of  our  money  [$1.58],  and  a  pound  of  sugar 
or  coffee  was  worth  one  reich-thaler  and  22  groschen 

*  These  two  redoubts  on  two  high  elevations  by  the  river- 
bank  (in  one  of  which  Fraser  was  buried)  are  to  be  seen  in 
the  picture — taken  from  Anbury,  much  reduced — in  Lossing's 
"Field-Book  of  the  American  Revolution"  and  in  my  "  Bur- 
goyne's  Campaign." 


Letter  from  New  Etigla?id. 


119 


re- 


[97  cts.].  Clothes  were  not  to  be  thought  of,  for 
they  were  daily  torn  into  shreds  in  this  wilderness. 
At  no  time  did  the  Jews  await  the  •coming  of  their 
Messiah  with  greater  expectancy  than  we  awaited  the 
coming  of  General  Clinton.  This  officer  General  Howe 
was  supposed  to  have  sent  us  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
persing the  rebels  in  our  front  and  rear.  Flying 
rumors  from  time  to  time  reached  our  camp  in  regard 
to  his  army  ;  and  although  they  continually  filled  us 
with  renewed  hope,  they  proved,  alas !  to  be  nothing 
but  rumors.  The  enemy,  meanwhile,  had  sent  an 
expedition  against  Carillon  under  the  command  of 
General  Lincoln,  which  surprised  and  captured  four 
companies  of  the  53d  Regiment.  Lincoln,  however, 
was  driven  back  from  Carillon  and  Diamond  Island 
with  great  loss,  so  that  he  was  defeated  in  optima 
forma.  Our  provisions  continued  to  decrease ;  the 
soldiers  were  reduced  half  a  pound  of  bread  and  the 
same  quantity  of  meat  per  day — a  state  of  things  which 
they  endured  with  patience.  Meanwhile,  although  the 
enemy  had  it  in  their  power  to  attack  us  with  four 
times  as  many  men  as  we  had,  they  showed  no  inclina- 
tion to  do  so.  To  retreat  seemed  too  hard  lines  for  Gen- 
eral Burgoyne.  I  n  Albany  we  had  plenty  of  friends  will- 
ing to  reinforce  us  ;  and  for  this  reason  the  General 
resolved  to  attack  the  enemy  and  endeavor  to  force 
his  way  through  th-^ir  lines.  We  could  only  attack  the 
enemy  on  their  flank  ;  and  in  order  to  hew  a  way  for 
our  columns  and  artillery,  and  at  the  same  time  re- 
connoitre their  position,  an  expedition  of  1500  men 


I20 


Letter  from  New  England. 


under  command  of  the  several  leaders  of  the  army, 
with  a  number  >f  heavy  cannon,  was  undertaken  on 
the  7th  of  October. 

Generals  Burgo)ne,  Phillips,  and  Riedesel,  and  Brig- 
adier Fraser,  accompmied  the  expedition,  and  all 
the  different  regiments  of  the  army  contributed  their 
quota.  The  brigadiers  and  those  troops  that  remained 
in  the  rear  retired  behind  the  fortifications  of  the  camp 
in  order  to  be  in  a  position  to  defend  themselves  as 
strongly  as  possible  should  the  enemy  take  a  notion  to 
attack  them.  Toward  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
the  enemy  were  driven  from  several  positions,  and  the 
corps  marched  up  to  Weisser's  House.*  The  enemy 
meanwhile  remained  quiet,  being  hidden  from  view  by 
woods.  General  Burgoyne  was  on  the  point  of  con- 
tinuing the  reconnoissance,  when  suddenly,  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  enemy  threw  themselves 
upon  the  English  grenadiers  who  composed  the  left 
wing,  attacked  them  in  front  and  in  flank,  and 
forced  them  after  a  stubborn  resistance  to  give  way. 


*  This  does  not  describe  the  state  of  affairs  exactly.  From 
this  sentence  it  might  be  inferred  that  the  main  body  of  the 
enemy  "were  driven,"  etc.;  whereas,  if  any  were  forced  to  re- 
tire, it  was  only  a  few  pickets.  The  entire  army  of  Gates 
remained  in  their  intrenchments  until  the  attack  on  Bur- 
goyne was  determined  on.  Pausch,  in  his  Joiirnal,  speaks  of 
coming  up  to  this  house  and  finding  it  deserted — it  having 
been  occupied,  probably,  as  an  outpost  by  a  few  American 
pickets.  In  connection  with  this,  the  reader  is  referred  to 
"Stone's  Map  of  the  Battle-ground  "  in  \.\\7iX  Journal. 


Letter  from  New  England, 


121 


At  the  right  wing,  where  the  regiments  under  English 
commanders  were  placed,  the  same  thing  happened  ; 
and  simultaneously  the  centre,  under  Colonel  von 
Specht,  and  whose  flanks  were  no  longer  covered,  was 
also  attacked.  The  centre  stood  its  ground  for  a  long 
time  ;  but  as  the  enemy's  regiments  kept  pouring  in 
from  all  sides,  nothing  was  left  to  it  but  to  retreat.  A 
more  galling  discharge  of  musketry  could  not  be 
imagined  Captain  Pausch  of  the  Hesse-Hanau 
artillery  afterward  described  to  me  with  what  frenzy 
the  enemy  threw  themselves  upon  his  cannon,  in  the 
very  teeth  of  a  murderous  fire  of  grape.  Although 
Captain  Pausch's  desperate  courage  in  such  affairs  is 
well  known,  yet  he  does  not  wMsh  on  that  account  that 
his  "  Narrative  "  should  be  taken  as  an  excuse  for  the 
loss  of  his  two  i2-pounders.  Old  Major  Williams, 
who  can  only  be  likened  to  an  old  12-pounder  himself, 
and  who  adores  no  creature  on  earth  more  than  a  12- 
pounder, — and  none,  by  the  way,  can  handle  one  better 
than  him, — also  met  with  Captain  Pausch's  fate  ;  with 
this  difference,  however,  that  he  was  captured  along 
with  his  beloved  1 2-pounders.*  The  old  warrior  is  said 
to  have  shed  tears  upon  this  occasion.  The  result  of 
to-day's  unfortunate  engagement  was  that  nearly  all 
of  our  cannon  were  captured,  and  the  entire  detach- 
ment had  to  seek  safety  in  flight.  The  beaten  corps 
took   refuge   within    the    large    intrenchment    [the 

*  It  was  one  of  these  same  twelve-pounders  on  which  Col. 
Cilley  was  a-straddle  and  exulting  in  its  capture  as  described 
by  Wilkinson. 


122 


Letter  from  New  England. 


t 


"  Great  Redoubt"]  of  Fraser's  division,  and  although 
the  enemy  attempted  to  scale  and  enter  it,  they  were 
met  with  such  a  determined  resistance  that  all  their 
efforts  proved  vain. 

•  We  were,  however,  to  meet  with  another  misfortune. 
Bellona  seems  to  have  been  with  the  Yankees  to-day. 
and  Mars  must  either  have  been  in  a  bad  humor  or 
have  placed  too  much  confidence  in  old  Williams  and 
his  i2-pounders.  The  corps  of  Fraser  and  Breymann 
were  separated  by  a  ravine,  and  both  were  stationed 
upon  two  separate  knolls.  The  low  ground  between 
these  elevations,  and  on  which  Freeman's  house  lay, 
was  occupied  by  Canadians  and  Provincials.  Colonel 
Breymann's  corps  covered  the  entire  right  of  the 
army,  and  therefore  stood  e7i  potence.  The  Provincial 
and  the  Canadian  corps  had  given  their  quota  to  the 
reconnoissanc  of  the  morning;  and  the  grenadiers  and 
rifle  battalion  had,  moreover,  become  greatly  weakened 
by  the  affair  at  Bennington.  This  entire  division  there- 
fore mustered  scarcely  two  hundred  men.  The  de- 
feated corps,  likewise,  instead  of  throwing  a  portion  of 
its  men  into  Breymann's  intrenchment,  threw  them 
all  into  Fraser's.*  Colonel  Brevmann  was  attacked 
in  front,  and  defended  himself  bravely. 

The  enemy,  however,  overpowered  the  posts  in  the 
depressed  ground  between  the  two  knolls,  and  then 
threw  themselves  from  the  side  and  rear   upon  Brey 

*  Still,  if  the  defeated  corps  had  divided  up  its  strength, 
Fraser's  "  Great  Redoubt"  would  probably  have  been  taken 
— thus  making  the  general  result  of  the  day  the  same. 


Letter  from  New  England. 


123 


mann's  intrenchments.  Breymann  fell  dead  as  he 
stood  near  two  cannon.  His  corps  became  dispersed, 
the  greater  part  of  them,  however,  retreating  into  the 
forest,  and  afterwards  effecting  a  junction  with  Fraser's 
division.  The  enemy  captured  several  cannon,  set 
the  tents  on  fire,  and  plundered  the  camp.  Colonel 
Breymann,  as  before  mentioned,  and  several  other 
officers  of  the  German  corps,  were  killed.  My  esteemed 
old  friend  Captain  Fredersdorff  died  some  time  after- 
wards from  his  wounds,  and  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant 
Bode  met  with  the  same  fate.  Captain  von  Dahlstjerna 
received  a  dangerous  shot  through  his  right  leg,  caus- 
ing both  arteries  to  be  ruptured.  He  is  lying  at 
Albany,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  his  recovery  will  be 
speedy.*  Captain  von  Gleissenberg  was  also  danger- 
ously wounded  in  the  stomach  ;f  and  Lieutenants  von 
Meyer  from  Nuremberg  and  Cruse  of  the  Yagers  [rifle- 
men] only  slightly.  Ensign  von  Geyling,  of  the  Hesse- 
Hanau  Regiment,  is  killed  ;  and  Colonel  von  Specht, 
Captain  von  Geisnau,  and  Ensigns  Haberlin,  Denicke, 
and  Count  von  RantzauJ  are  captured.  In  the  death 
of  the  brave  Brigadier  Eraser,  who  died  from  his 
wounds  the  day  after  the  battle,  the  army  has  sustained 


*  Bernhard  Rich.  Dahlstirna.  He,  as  well  as  Captain 
Fredersdorff,  died  of  his  wounds  the  following  year  at 
Albany,  so  that  the  writer's  kind  wish  was  not  gratified. 

t  Gottlief  Joachim  Gleissenberg.  He  died  February  20, 
1 801,  as  Colonel  commanding  at  Wolfenbiittel. 

X  Ensign  Count  von  Rantzau,  Ernest  August,  was 
drowned  in  the  Schuylkill  while  in  captivity. 


124 


Letter  from  New  Engla7id. 


% 


a  great  loss.  Sir  Francis  Clarke  [Gierke],  Captain 
and  First  Adjutant  of  General  Burgoyne,  and  who  only 
a  few  years  since  studied  in  Gottingen,  is  also  killed. 
Major  Acland  is  likewise  wounded,  and  a  i)risoner. 
His  wife,  a  born  "  my  lady,"  who  shared  hi^  tent  with 
him  throughout  the  entire  campaign,  is  his  true  and 
faithful  companion  in  captivity.  Both  these  persons, 
whose  parents  are  still  living,  are  already  in  possession 
of  a  yearly  income  of  ;r20,ooo  sterling.  Aide-Major 
Bloomficld  of  the  artillery,  and  Captain  Green, 
Brigade-Major  of  General  Phillip's  division,  are 
wounded.  Furthermore,  several  other  officers  have 
been  either  killed,  wounded,  or  captured.  During  the 
night  succeeding  the  battle  we  were  engaged  in  taking 
down  our  tents  and  sending  back  our  baggage. 

On  the  8th  of  October  we  danced  a  minuet  back- 
ward! and  merely  showed  the  enemy  our  teeth  and 
claws.  We  did,  however,  considerable  damage  with 
our  cannon.  In  the  night  we  began  our  retreat,  and 
arrived  at  Saratoga  in  the  evening.  Ba»  "oads  and 
abominable  weather  caused  us  to  leave  in  the  enemy's 
hands  some  baggage  and  a  number  of  cannon. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  loth.  General  Gates  ap- 
peared with  his  army,  and  stationed  himself  on  the 
heights  near  the  church  at  Saratoga.*     The  Fishkill, 

*  All  of  the  prominent  places  mentioned  in  the  campaign 
and  retreat  have,  through  the  energy  of  Mrs.  E.  H.  Walworth 
of  Saratoga  Springs, — a  Trustee  of  the  "  Saratoga  Monument 
Association,"  and  whose  grandfather  was  in  the  battles, — 
been  marked  by  handsomely  inscribed  granite  tablets,  put 


I: 


Letter  from  New  England, 


125 


which  could  very  comfortably  he   waded,  alone  sepa- 
rated the  two  armies  from  each  other. 

On  the  iith,  the  enemy  crossed  the  Fishkill  with 
several  brigades ;  but  my  Lord  Balcarras  opened  fire 
upon  them  with  his  cannon,  driving  them  back  witii 
loss.  They,  however,  captured  our  bateaux,  some 
provisions  and  other  articles,  together  with  one  Eng- 
lish officer  and  forty  men.  During  the  i  ith,  12th,  and 
13th  the  cannonading  never  ceased,  while  the  fire  of 
musketry  between  the  outposts  of  the  two  armies  was 
incessant.  The  enemy  continued,  with  their  superior 
numbers,  to  hem  us  in,  until  by  the  14th  of  October 
retreat  was  impossible.  Our  provisions  also  had  by 
this  time  so  diminished  that  hunger  stared  us  in  the 
face.  Again,  not  only  was  the  enemy's  position  a 
strong  one,  but  they  outnumbered  us  four  to  one  ;  so 
that,  even  should  we  have  chanced  to  defeat  them, — 
which,  by  the  way,  was  highly  improbable, — our  con- 
dition, so  far  as  our  stomachs  were  concerned,  would 
in  no  wise  have  been  improved.  To  force  them  back 
upon  Albany  at  one  coup  was  not  to  be  thought  of. 
The  enemy,  moreover,  did  not  deign  to  attack  us,  as 
they  hoped  that  in  a  few  days  hunger  would  cause  us 
to  surrender  without  the  shedding  of  blood.  To 
abandon  our  artillery  and  baggage,  and  fight  our  way 
with  bayonets  through  the  terrible  wilderness  back  to 
Carillon,  seemed  the  only  thing  left  for  us.     But  even 


up  by  Booth  Brothers  of  New  York  City,  who  also  built  the 
Saratoga  Monument. 


126 


Letter  from  New  England, 


this  idea  had  to  be  abandoned  ;  for  it  had  by  this  time 
become  plain  to  us  all,  that  without  any  resources  the 
larger  portion  of  us  would  die  a  most  miserable  death 
upon  the  journey.  We  therefore  preferred  an  hon- 
orable capitulation    to  an  ignominious  death.*     The 


*  Governor  Horatio  Seymour,  in  his  oration  at  the  laying 
of  the  corner-stone  of  the  Saratoga  Monument,  said  :  "  Monu- 
ments not  only  mark  but  make  the  civilization  of  a  people  ;" 
and  Lord  Macaulay,  in  his  comments  on  the  siege  of  Lon- 
donderry, wrote  :  "  A  people  which  takes  no  pride  in  the 
noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors  will  never  achieve 
anything  worthy  to  be  remembered  with  pride  by  remote 
descendants."  The  Saratoga  Monument,  which  now  in 
massive  granite  commemorates  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne, 
practically  illustrates  these  sentiments  of  those  two  great 
men.  This  monument,  which  overlooks  the  Field  of  the  Sur- 
render, is  40  feet  square  at  the  base,  and  154  feet  in  height; 
and  as  it  stands  on  a  bluff  350  feet  high,  it  has  an  altitude 
above  the  river  level  of  554  feet,  thus  affording  from  its 
summit  a  magnificent  panoramic  view  of  the  adjacent  coun- 
try. It  is  an  obelisk,  combining  the  Egyptian  and  Gothic 
styles  of  architecture.  The  interior  of  the  first  two  stories  is 
lined  with  sixteen  bronze  alto-relievos  (two-thirds  the  size  of 
life),  illustrating  different  scenes  in  the  ca  ipaign, — such  as  the 
murder  of  Jane  McCrea,  the  burial  of  General  Fraser,  and 
the  passage  of  l.ady  Acland  to  the  American  camp.  Three 
of  the  exterior  niches  contain  bronze  figures  in  heroic  size  of 
Schuyler,  Gates,  and  Morgan  ;  the  fourth  one — like  the  niche 
of  Marino  Falieri  at  Venice — being  left  ^vacant  with  the 
name  of  Arnold  inscribed  underneath.  Its  architect  was 
J.  C.  Markham  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  and  its  builders.  Booth 


SARATOGA    MONUMENT. 

''oriK-r  sId  I"'   l.iiil  <'(iiibt'r   17,    i!^77. 


(  /'(>  fint  fingt  lafi.) 


Letter  from  New  England. 


ii'j 


enemy  met  us  half-way,*  and  the  14th,  15th,  and  i6th 
of  October  were  passed  in  negotiating.  On  the  even- 
ing of  the  1 6th  both  generals  agreed  upon  the  articles 
of  capitulation,  which  were  thirteen  in  number,  and 
were  as  follows  :  f 

On  the  17th  of  October  our  army  maxched  to  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson, J  stacked  their  arms  (neither  of 
the  enemy's  officers  nor  commissioners  being  in  sight), 


Bros,  of  New  York  City,  wi»'»  with  great  liberality  made  no 
charge  for  the  corner-stone. 

The  "  Saratoga  Monument  Association,"  under  whose 
auspices  the  monument  was  erected,  and  whose  president  is 
the  patriotic  and  public-spirited  Hon.  John  H.  Starin,  has 
lately  come  into  possession  of  the  eight  bronze  field-pieces 
captured  from  Burgoyne  at  the  time  of  his  surrender.  To 
the  praiseworthy  efforts  of  the  late  Hon.  S.  S.  Cox,  who 
introduced  in  Congress  the  first  bill  for  these  cannon,  and 
also  to  the  energy  of  Hon.  John  Sanford.  who  completed 
what  the  death  of  Mr.  Cox  left  unfinished,  is  due  the  fact 
that  these  cannon  will  in  a  few  months  grace  the  base  of 
the  monument.  Among  these  cannon  are  the  twelve- 
pounders  captured  from  our  friend,  the  old  "  twelve- 
pounder,"  Major  Williams! 

*  Or,  literally,  "  The  enemy  extended  to  us  his  hand." 

f  As  these  "  articles"  are  to  be  found  in  any  authoritative 
history  of  the  United  States,  and  also  in  my  *'  Life  of  Gen- 
eral Riedesel,"  they  are  here  omitted. 

\  Within  the  then  plain  intrenchments  of  "  Old  Fort 
Hardy  " — erected  in  1757  under  the  superintendence  of  Col. 
James  Montresor,  an  accomplished  military  engineer,  and 
named  after  Governor  Hardy,  the  royal  governor  of  the 
colony  of  New  York. 


128 


Letter  from  New  E^igland. 


and  began  their  march  to  Boston.  The  Canadians, 
and  most  of  the  Provincials  who  had  fought  on  our 
side,  started  in  boats  for  Lake  George.  These  latter 
are  from  this  time  forward  to  be  looked  upon  as  ex- 
iles. However,  it  is  the  intention  to  send  their  unfor- 
tunate families  after  them,  but  without  any  of  their 
earthly  possessions.*  We  passed  the  enemy's  encamp- 
ment, in  front  of  which  all  their  regiments,  as  well  as 
the  artillery,  were  standing  under  arms.  Not  a  man 
of  them  was  regularly  equipped.  Each  one  had  on 
the  clothes  which  he  was  accustomed  to  wear  in  the 
field,  the  tavern,  the  church,  and  in  everyday  life.  No 
fault,  however,  could  be  found  with  their  military  ap- 
pearance, for  they  stood  in  an  erect  and  a  soldierly 
attitude.  All  their  muskets  had  bayonets  attached  to 
them,  and  their  riflemen  had  rifles.  They  remained 
so  perfectly  quiet  that  we  were  utterly  astounded. 
Not  one  of  them  made  any  attempt  to  speak  to  the 
man  at  his  side  ;  and  all  the  men  who  stood  in  array 
before   us  were  so  slender,  fine-looking,   and  sinewy, 

*  The  condition  of  these  Provincials  was  most  unfortu- 
nate, particularly  as  their  status  was  left  very  undefined.  The 
Provincial  officers,  it  was  feared,  would  be  treated  as  prison- 
ers, without  any  standing  as  to  exchange.  Indeed,  I  have 
now  before  me  a  MS.  letter  from  General  Fraser,  given  to 
one  of  these  Provincials  prevr'ous  to  the  Battle  of  Saratoga, 
designed  to  protect  him  in  case  of  capture.  See  also  General 
I.  Watts  de  Pcyster  on  this  subject.  General  de  Peyster's 
works  have  an  authoritative  value  ;  and  his  writings,  as  well 
as  those  of  General  Rogers,  cannot  be  too  highly  valued  by 
the  historical  student. 


Letter  from  New  Efigland. 


129 


that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  look  at  them.  Nor  could  we 
but  wonder  that  Dame  Nature  had  created  such  a 
handsome  race  !  As  to  their  height,  dear  brother,  the 
men  averaged  from  6  to  7  inches,  according  to  Prus- 
sian measurement ;  and  I  assure  you  I  am  not  telling 
an  untruth  when  I  state  that  men  8  to  10  inches  high 
were  oftener  to  be  seen  than  those  of  only  5  ;*  and 
men  of  larger  height  were   to   be   found   in  all  the 

companies.     Captain ,  who  was  chagrined  at  not 

having  succeeded  in  obtaining  recruits  among  these 
people,  will  corroborate  me  in  this  statement.  I  am 
perfectly  serious  when  I  state  that  the  men  of  English 
America  are  far  ahead  of  those  in  the  greater  portion 
of  Europe  both  as  respects  their  beauty  and  stature. 
In  regard  to  the  gentler  sex,  I  will  give  you  some  de- 
tails of  them  also  when  I  arrive  at  Kinderhook  ;  and 
now  for  a  space  devoted  to  American  wigs  !  f 

Few  of  the  officers  in  General  Gates'  army  wore 
uniforms,  and  those  that  were  worn  were  evidently 
of  home  manufacture  and  of  all  colors.     For  example, 

*That  is,  5  feet,  8,  10  and  5  inches.  In  the  Prussian 
army  a  man  must  measure  at  least  5  feet  to  be  accepted 
as  a  soldier.  So  that  when  an  officer,  or  for  that  matter, 
any  German,  speaks  of  the  height  of  another  as  being 
"  8  or  10  inches,"  he  means  that  he  stands  5  feet  8  or  10 
inches.  These  5  feet  are  never  mentioned  in  speaking  of 
his  height,  as  that  is  an  understood  thing. 

f  The  writer  evidently  makes  a  pun — the  persons  whom 
he  goes  on  to  describe  being  contemptuously  known  as 
"  Whigs"  and  some  of  them,  as  will  be  seen  further  on, 
wearing  wigs,  which  he  proceeds  humorously  to  describe. 


I30 


Letter  from  New  England. 


brown  coats  with  sea-green  facings,  w^ite  linings,  and 
silver  dragons,  and  gray  coats  with  yellow  buttons  and 
straw  facings,  were  to  be  seen  in  plenty.  The  briga- 
diers and  generals  had,  however,  uniforms  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  rest  of  the  officers,  and  wore  a 
band  around  the  waist  to  designate  their  respective 
rank.  On  the  other  hand,  most  of  the  colonels  and 
other  officers  wore  their  every-day  clothes.  They 
carried  their  muskets  (to  which  a  bayonette  was  at- 
tached) in  their  hands  ;  their  pouches  or  powder-horns 
were  slung  over  their  backs,  and  their  left  hand  hung 
down  by  their  side,  while  the  right  foot  was  slightly 
put  forward.  In  one  place  could  be  seen  men  with 
white  wigs,  from  beneath  which  logg  and  thick  hair 
escaped — thick  lambs'  tails  hanging  down  from  the 
back ;  in  another,  the  glistening  black  wig  of  an  abb^ 
surmounting  some  red  and  copper-colored  face  ;  while 
in  still  another,  white  and  gray  clerical-looking  wigs 
made  of  horse  and  goat  hair,  and  piled  up  in  succes- 
sive rolls.  In  looking  at  a  man  thus  adorned  one 
would  imagine  that  he  had  an  entire  sheep  under  his 
hat,  with  its  tail  dangling  around  his  neck.  A  great 
deal  of  respect  is  entertained  for  these  wigs,  not  only 
because  they  are  supposed  to  give  the  wearer  a  learned 
appearance,  but  because  they  are  worn  by  all  the 
gentlemen  composing  the  committees  and  those  who 
are  renowned  for  wisdom.  The  gentlemen  who  wear 
these  different  kind  of  wigs  are  mostly  between  fifty 
and  sixty  years  of  age  ;  and  having  but  recently  begun 
to  V  ear  them,  you  can  imagine  what  a  comical  appear- 


Letter  from  New  Engla7id, 


131 


ance  they  cut  as  soldiers.  The  determination  which 
caused  them  to  grasp  a  musket  and  powder-horn  can 
be  seen  in  their  faces,  as  well  as  the  fact  that  they  are 
not  to  he  fooled  with,  especially  in  skirmishes  in  the 
woods.  Seriously  speaking,  this  entire  nation  has 
great  natural  military  talent.  There  were  many  regi- 
ments of  regulars  [Continentals]  in  the  enemy's 
army  who  had  not  been  properly  equipped,  owing  to 
the  lack  of  time  and  scarcity  of  cloth.  They  have 
flags  with  all  kinds  of  emblems  and  mottoes. 

It  must  also  be  said  to  the  credit  of  the  enemy's 
regiments,  that  not  a  man  among  them  ridiculed  or 
insulted  us ;  and  none  of  them  evinced  the  least  sign 
of  hate  or  malicious  joy  as  we  marched  by.  On  the 
contrary,  it  seemed  rather  as  though  they  desired  to 
do  us  honor.  As  we  filed  by  the  tent  of  General  Gates, 
he  invited  the  brigadiers  and  commanders  of  our  reg- 
iments to  enter,  and  when  they  had  done  so  he  placed 
all  kinds  of  refreshments  before  them. 

Gates  is  a  man  between  fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age  ; 
wears  his  thin  gray  hair  combed  around  his  head  ;  is 
still  lively*  and  friendly,  and  constantly  wears  specta- 
cles on  account  of  his  weak  eyes.  At  head-quarters 
we  met  many  officers,  who  showed  us  all  manner  of  at- 
tentions. Philadelphia  officers,  men  of  our  own  blood, 
offered  to  make  our  stay  in  Pennsylvania  among  their 
loved  relations  pleasant  and  agreeable.  French  offi- 
cers overwhelmed  us  with  a  thousand  complimentary 


*  This  word  in  the  original  may  also  be  translated  jovial. 


132 


Letter  frovt  New  Buqland. 


speeches  ;  and  a  number  of  officers  formerly  in  the 
Prussian  service  were  fairly  in  ecstasies  at  the  sight 
of  our  blue  coats — bringing  back  to  them  recollec- 
tions of  the  battles  of  Sovr  [Sohr],  Prague,  and 
Kesselsdorf.  Brigadier  Weissenfels  of  Konigsberg 
has  rendered  many  services  to  those  of  our  officers 
(seven  in  number)  who  were  taken  prisoners  [at  the 
battles  of  Saratoga].*  We  marched  to-day  to  Free- 
man s  Farm,  four  English  miles  distant. 


'I 


IS 


*  Weissenfels,  Frederick  H.,  Baron  de,  born  in  Prussia  in 
1738  ;  died  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  May  14,  1806.  During  his 
early  life  he  was  an  officer  both  in  the  Prussian  and  the  Brit- 
ish service;  but  emigrating^. to  this  country,  he  settled  in 
1763  in  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  became  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel of  the  3d  N.  Y.  battalion  in  1776,  and  afterward  com- 
manded the  2d  N.  Y.  battalion  at  White  Plains,  Trenton,  the 
battles  of  Saratoga,  and  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  He  ac- 
companied Sullivan's  expedition  against  the  Six  Nations  in 
1779,  and  fought  at  Newton.  The  war  lefi  him  impoverished  ; 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  filled  a  minor  office  at  New 
Orleans.  He  was  honored  by  a  military  funeral,  in  recog- 
nition of  his  services  at  White  Plains,  Trenton,  the  battles  of 
Saratoga,  Monmouth,  and  Sullivan's  expedition.  One  of 
his  daughters'  descendants  is  Mr.  E.  EUery  Anderson,  a 
lawyer  in  New  York  City.  He  was  also  one  of  the  original 
founders  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati ;  and  his  fellow 
Germans  deserve  to  be  chronicled  here  in  appreciation  of 
their  share  in  the  great  work  of  securing  the  independence 
of  the  American  Republic.  One  of  these,  and  his  associate 
in  founding  the  Cincinnati,  was  Sebastian  Bauman, — who, 
by  the  way,  has  not  had  the  recognition  which  he  deserves, 


Letter  f 7- om  New  England. 


^12> 


December  15,  1777. 
Friends  :  You  will  now  have  to  march  215  English 
miles  (about  45  German)  in  order  to   be  with   me  in 

and  therefore  we  give  for  the  benefit  of  future  historians  a 
sketch  of  his  life. 

Sebastian  Bauman  was  born  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main, 
Germany,  April  6,  1739,  ^"d  was  educated  as  a  military  en- 
gini^er  at  Heidelberg  University.  He  emigrated  to  this 
country  when  quite  young,  and  settled  in  New  York  as  a 
merchant.  He  served  through  the  Revolution  as  major  in 
Colonel  Lamb's  regiment  of  artillery,  being  commissioned 
by  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress  early  in  1776.  At 
the  evacuation  of  New  York  by  the  Americans,  on  Sept'em 
ber  15,  1776,  he  was  the  last  officer  to  leave  the  city.  He 
was  left  in  the  morning  with  orders  to  bring  off  what  artil- 
lery remained ;  but  being  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  army 
by  the  extension  of  the  British  lines  across  the  island,  after 
the  landing  at  Kipp's  Bay,  he  waited  until  nightfall,  when  he 
succeeded  in  transporting  his  guns — two  howitzers — ?nd  men 
to  Paulus  Hook.  He  also  served  in  the  northern  cam- 
paigns of  1776  and  1777,  and  was  in  -ommand  of  the  ar- 
tillery at  West  Point,  from  1779  to  1781.  In  1781  he  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  and  at  the  close  of  that  cam- 
paign returned  to  West  Point,  where  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  In  1782  he  published,  from  bis  own  sur- 
veys, the  only  American  map  of  the  siege  of  Vorktown.  He 
took  part  in  the  entry  of  the  American  army  into  New  York 
on  November  23,  1783,  being  in  command  of  the  artillery,  viz., 
two  companies  of  the  second  (Colonel  Lamb's)  regiment. 
When  the  army  was  disbanded  he  returned  to  New  York 
and  resumed  his  old  mercantile  pursuits,  taking,  however, 
command  of  the  New  York  regiment  of  artillery  in  the  State 
service.     In  October,  1789,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of 


134 


Letter  from  New  England. 


the  critical  situation  in  which  we  at  present  find  our- 
selves upon  Winter  Hill. 

On  the  8th  of  October  we  marched  to  Stillwater — 
three  and  a  half  English  miles  from  where  we  were 
when  I  last  left  off  [i.e.,  Freeman's  FarmJ.  The  old 
ruined  fort  *  at  this  place,  as  well  as  the  vicinity  within 

New  York,  which  position  he  held  until  his  death,  October 
19,  1803,  the  anniversary  of  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  A 
great-great-grandson,  Bauman  L.  Belden,  now  (1891)  resides 
at  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 

The  statement  of  the  writer,  that  so  many  French  and 
Prussian  officers  were  in  General  Gates'  army,  is  quite  a  new 
revelation.  There  were  doubtless,  however,  numbers  of 
foreigners  fighting  on  the  side  of  the  colonists,  whose  names 
have  not  come  down  to  us. 

*  At  Stillwater,  in  June,  1709,  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler,  in 
command  of  the  advanced  guard  of  General  Nicholson's 
army,  halted  and  built  a  small  stockaded  fort,  which  he 
called  Fort  Ingoldsby,  in  honor  of  Lieutenant-Governor 
Major  Richard  Ingoldsby.  Again,  in  the  summer  of  1756, 
General  Winslow,  while  on  his  Northern  Expedition,  halted 
at  Stillwater,  and,  building  a  new  fort  on  the  decaying  re- 
mains of  the  old  one  erected  in  1709,  called  it  Fort  Winslow. 
— N.  B.  Sylvester's  History  of  Saratoga  Co,  It  is  to  this  fort 
that  the  writer  refers. 

In  September,  1777,  General  Gates,  in  passing  up  the  Hud- 
son on  his  way^to  Bemus  Heights,  first  made  his  stand  at 
this  old  military  station  at  Stillwater.  After  remaining  here, 
however,  for  a  day  or  two,  he,  probably  with  the  advice  of 
Kosciusko, — for  Gates,  himself,  was  seemingly  incapable  of 
any  original  ideas  save  those  of  intrigue, — changed  his  plan, 
and  going  up  the  river  about  a  mile  further,  threw  up  his 
memorable  intrenchments  on  Bemus  Heights. 


Letter  from  New  E^igland. 


135 


a  radius  of  three  miles,  derives  its  name  from  the 
gently  flowing  river  [Hudson],  which  here  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  quiet  inland  lake.  The  English  corps 
crossed  the  Hudson  in  order  to  take  a  certain  route  for 
Boston.*  Here  we  obtained  fresh  provisions,  and  our 
palates,  which  had  by  this  time  become  accustomed  to 
salt  provisions,  recovered  their  normal  tone  by  means 
of  the  fresh  meat. 

On  the  igtii  we  crossed  the  Hudson  in  a  few  boats, 
and  as  night  had  by  this  time  overtaken  us,  we  could 
not  go  any  further  towards  Shetekok  [Scaghticoke], 
a  hamlet  composed  of  Dutchmen — a  rich  and  highly 
interesting  people.  Accordingly,  we  were  obliged  to 
bivouac  here  in  a  meadow  placed  at  our  disposal.  From 
this  time  on  we  began  to  find  great  abundance  of  ap- 
ples, from  which  an  incredible  quantity  of  cider  is  made 
both  in  New  York  and  all  the  New  England  States, 
and  which  can  be  kept  from  three  to  four  years.  At 
this  place  they  first  began  to  steal  our  horses — an  in- 
fernal proceeding,  which  they  have  kept  up  through 
our  entire  march.  By  way  of  comfort  they  tell  us  that 
we  have  either  stolen  them  ourselves,  or    else  have 


*  The  Germans  went  to  Boston  by  the  route  outlined  by 
the  writer ;  but  the  British  went  by  the  old  "  Hoosac  RoM  " 
by  way  of  Northampton — the  same  by  which  John  Norton 
and  the  captives  of  Fort  Massachusetts  went  in  the  oppo- 
site direction  to  Canada.  In  other  words,  over  the  old  In- 
dian road  over  the  Hoosac  to  Decrfield  and  Northampton. 
— Letter  from  Prof.  A.  L.  Perry,  of  Wiltianisiown^  to  the 
Translator. 


m 


136 


Letter  from  Neiv  England, 


bought  them  from  persons  friendly  to  the  king,  who 
in  turn  have  stolen  the  liorses  from  them  !  More- 
over, they  further  tell  us  that  we  will  now  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  old  Roman  law,  Ubi  rem  ineam  in- 
veniOy  ibi  vindico.  We  cannot  understand,  however, 
how  they  can  confound  Canadian  and  German  horses 
with  theirs  ! 

On  the  20th  of  October,  we  passed  many  Dutch 
and  German  farm-houses.  The  farmers  have  immense 
stores  of  grain,  large  heaps  of  which  lie  in  mows  cov- 
ered with  movable  roofs.  We  went  this  day  as  far 
as  New  City,*  a  small  town  on  the  Hudson,  but 
lately  started,  beingonly  eight  years  old.  It  was  origi- 
nally founded  by  two  individuals  named  French,  who 
have  built  beautiful  dwellings  and  ware-houses.  Both 
of  these  gentlemen,  however,  being  Tories, — that  is, 
friendly  to  the  king, — they  were  forced  to  abandon 
their  property.  Bakers,  smiths,  and  artisans  had  es- 
tablished themselves  in  this  village,  but  most  of  the 
houses  were  standing  empty.  We  found  here  a  well- 
equipped  hospital,  in  which  we  met  several  wounded 
soldiers  belonging  to  our  army.  They  told  us  that 
they  were  given  tea,  sugar,  chocolate,  and  wine,  not- 
withstanding these  articles  were  extremely  dear.f  Our 
troops  had  to  bivouac  at  this  place  and  encounter 
the  discomforts  of  a  snow-  and  rain-storm  during  the 
night.     Our  march  to-day  covered  ten  miles. 

*  The  present  town  of  Lansingburg,  N.  Y. 

t  This  treatment  was  in  marked  contrast  with  that  which 
our  prisoners  received  from  the  British  in  New  York  and 
the  South. 


Letter  from  Neiv  England. 


^n 


rhich 
and 


On  the  2  1  St,  it  rained  and  snowed  during  the  entire 
night.  The  houses  were  a  quarter  of  an  English  mile 
and  even  more  apart,  and  the  roads  were  hilly  and 
bad.  After  covering  fourteen  miles,  we  arrived  at 
Greenbush,  and  put  up  houses  [of  boughs  ?]  in  a  wood 
near  the  dwelling  of  a  rich  farmer  named  VVooles- 
worth.     During  the  night  it  froze  hard. 

On  the  2 2d,  our  march  was  almost  entirely  througV 
woods,  in  which  every  little  while  we  came  across  mlii- 
erable  dwellings.  Finally,  after  going  twelve  miles  we 
came  to  a  plain  lying  between  several  hills,  where  the 
borough  of  Kinderhook  (consisting  of  about  seventy 
straggling  houses)  is  situated.  The  most  prominent 
house  in  the  village  belonged  to  a  man  named  Van 
Schaaken  [Van  Schaak].*  It  was  built  of  stone,  and 
three  stories  high.  This  man  showed  us  many  little  at- 
tentions, and  was  a  kind  friend  to  us.  The  rest  of  the 
people,  who  were  Dutch  by  birth,  wc-e  also  kind.  They 
had  but  one  fault — that  is,  they  were  selfish,  and  were 
as  fond  of  money  as  a  Jew.  Every  article  they  sold  us 
was  terribly  dear.  Most  of  the  houses  were  very  well 
built,  and  nicely  finished  inside.  The  inhabitants  in 
general  lived  well.  Their  breakfast  consisted  of  milk, 
tea,  roast-meat,  baked  apples,  and  all  kinds  of  rich  but- 
ter-cakes. We  could  have  made  ourselves  comfort- 
able enough  with  tea,  if  we  had  only  had  enough  of  it. 
Those  people  who  were  in  comparatively  easy  circum- 

*  Van  Schaak  was  a  Tory  or  Neutral,  and  was  very  cruelly 
treated  afterward. 


■t 


138 


Letter  from  New  England. 


stances  had  gilt  frames  around  their  mirrors,  and 
very  good  pendulum  clocks.  Similar  household  fur- 
niture can  be  found  all  along  the  road  to  Boston.  As 
all  the  barns  of  the  farmers  were  full  of  grain,  we  had 
to  camp  out  in  a  neighboring  wood. 

December  18,  1777. 

Friends  :  I  am  at  last  in  Kenderhook  [Kinder- 
hook],  whence  I  promised  to  write  you  a  chapter  about 
pretty  girls.  Before,  however,  reading  my  narrative 
to  a  lady,  examine  it  carefully  so  as  to  see  if  there  is 
any  danger  of  its  causing  future  trouble  between  me 
and  my  dear  countrywomen.  Should  you  decide 
against  it,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  upset  the  ink-stand 
on  the  entire  chapter ! 

The  ladies  in  this  vicinity,  and  as  far  as  Boston  and 
New  York,  are  slender,  of  erect  carriage,  and,  without 
being  strong,  are  plump.  They  have  small  and  pretty 
ieet,  good  hands  and  arms,  a  very  white  skin,  and  a 
healthy  color  in  the  face  which  requires  no  further  em- 
bellishment. I  have  seen  few  disfigured  by  pock-marks, 
for  inoculation  against  smallpox  has  been  in  vogue 
here   for  many  years.*     They  have,  also,  exceedingly 

*  This  remark  seems  to  us,  at  the  present  day,  sinc^ular ; 
but  not  so  when  it  is  remembered  how  bitterly  bcO  the 
clerical  and  the  medical  professions  fought  against  inocula- 
tion— the  former,  indeed,  inveighing  against  the  practice 
from  the  pulpit — and  when  it  is  also  recalled  that  the  deaths 
in  London  alone  from  smallpox  fell  during  the  last  century 
but  a  trifle  short  of  200,000.  Indeed,  so  common  was  it, 
that  Macaulay  says  that  "  a  person  without  a  pitted  face  was 
,the  exception." 


k 


Letter  from  New  England. 


139 


white  teeth,  pretty  lips,  and  sparkling,  laughing  eyes. 
In  connection  with  these  charms  they  have  a  natural 
bearing,  essentially  unrestrained,  with  open,  frank  coun- 
tenances, and  much  native  assurance.  They  are  great- 
admirers  of  cleanliness,  and  keep  themselves  well  shod. 
They  frizz  their  hair  every  day,  and  gather  it  up  on  the 
back  of  the  head  into  a  chignon,  at  the  same  time  puff- 
ing it  up  in  front.  They  generally  walk  about  with 
their  heads  uncovered  ;  and  sometimes,  but  not  often, 
wear  some  light  fabric  on  their  hair.  Now  and  then 
some  country  nymph  has  her  hair  flowing  down  be- 
hind her,  braiding  it  with  a  piece  of  ribbon.  Should 
they  go  out  (even  though  they  be  living  in  a  hut),  they 
throw  a  silk  wrap  about  themselves  and  put  on  gloves. 
They  have  a  charming  way  of  wearing  this  wrap  by 
means  of  which  they  manage  to  show  a  portion  of  a 
small  white  elbow.  They  also  put  on  some  well-made 
and  stylish  little  sun-bonnet,  from  beneath  which  their 
roguish  eyes  have  a  most  fascinating  way  of  meeting 
yours.  In  the  English  colonies  the  beauties  have 
fallen  in  love  with  red  silk  or  woollen  wraps.  Dressed 
in  this  manner,  a  girl  will  walk,  run,  or  dance  about 
you,  and  bid  you  a  friendly  good-morning  or  give  you 
a  saucy  answer  according  to  what  you  may  have  said 
to  her.  At  all  the  places  through  which  we  passed 
dozens  of  girls  were  met  with  on  the  road,  who  either 
laughed  at  us  mockingly,  or  now  and  then  roguishly 
offered  us  an  apple,  accompanied  by  a  little  courtesy. 
At  first  we  thought  they  were  girls  from  the  city,  or 
at  least  from  the  middle  classes ;  but  lo  and  behold  ! 


*«'<S^«^*^*«'«eWP?"»«j4' ;■ 


msmm 


140 


Letter  from  New  England. 


they  were  the  daughters  of  poor  farmers.  Notwith- 
standing the  many  pretty  things  I  have  said  about  the 
gentler  sex  in  this  country,  I  must  still  give  my  loved 
countrywomen  the  credit  of  possessing  certain  gentle, 
lovable,  and  languishing  qualities  which  lend  additional 
attractions  to  their  charms,  but  which  are  entirely 
lacking  in  the  beauties  to  be  found  here.  Most  per- 
fectly formed  and  beautiful  nymphs  are  to  be  seen  on 
all  sides  ;  but  to  find  one  endowed  with  all  the  attrac- 
tions of  one  of  the  graces  is  a  very  difficult  thing.* 
Enough  of  this,  however.  I  think  it  high  time  to  bring 
this  disquisition  to  a  close  ;  and  I  shall  now  do  so  after 
stating  that  the  fair  sex  were  the  cause  of  our  losing 
some  of  our  comrades  on  the  23d  of  October.f 

*  This  was  probably  said  to  neutralize  among  his  country- 
women when  he  should  return  to  his  fatherland,  the  encomiums 
he  had  lavished  upon  the  American  women.  Perhaps,  how- 
ever, the  recipient  of  this  letter,  acting  on  the  writer's  hint, 
threw  the  ink-stand  over  this  portion  I 

f  That  is,  by  desertions.  In  fact,  both  all  along  the  line  of 
this  trip  to  Cambridge  and  during  the  stay  of  the  Germans  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  many  deserted,  and  taking  Ameri- 
can wives,  founded  families  who  are  among  the  most  respect- 
able of  our  citizens.  In  going  through  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass., 
particularly,  the  Yankee  girls  had  most  seductive  charms  for 
the  German  captives.  Johann  Hintersass  (John  Henderson) 
"stayed  over  at  VVilliamstown,  and  founded  a  family  who  are 
now  still  in  existence." — Prof.  A.  L.  Perry  of  Williamstown 
to  the  Translator.  Indeed,  says  Rosengarten  in  his  "  German 
Soldier  in  the  Wars  of  the  United  States,"  "  of  thirty  thou- 
sand Germans  who  were  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  hardly 


H 


Letter  from  New  E^tglafid. 


141 


To-day  being  a  day  of  rest,  I  shall  give  you  an  ac- 
count of  two  tilings  whicli  particularly  struck  me  in 
this  country.  The  first  of  these  was  the  evident  mas- 
tery that  the  women  possessed  over  the  men.  In 
Canada  this  power  is  used  by  the  women  to  further 
the  interests  of  the  men  ;  but  here  it  is  used  nearly  to 
ruin  them.  The  wives  and  daughters  of  these  people 
spend  more  than  their  incomes  upon  finery.  The  man 
must  fish  up  the  last  penny  he  has  in  his  pocket.  The 
funniest  part  of  it  is,  that  the  women  do  not  seem  to 
steal  it  from  them  ;  neither  do  they  obtain  it  by  cajol- 

half  returned,  and  the  large  port  "on  of  those  who  remained  did 
so  voluntarily,  making  their  new  home  the  beginning  of  a  new 
life  very  unlike  that  of  their  native  land."  Mr.  Rosengarten 
also  tells  us  that  the  late  General  Geo.  A.  Custer,  who  lost  his 
life  in  a  battle  with  the  Sioux  Indians,  was  a  great-grandson 
of  a  Hessian  ofificer  who  served  under  Burgoyne.  After  the 
latter's  surrender  he  was  paroled,  settled  in  Pennsylvania, 
married  there,  changed  his  German  name,  "  KCister,"  to  one 
easier  to  pronounce  in  English,  and  moved  to  Maryland,  where 
the  father  of  General  Custer  was  born  in  1806.  I  quote, 
as  also  in  point,  the  following  extract  which  I  copy  from  the 
General  Advertiser  and  Morning  Intelligence  of  1777:  "  If 
America  has  been  the  grave  of  a  great  number  of  Germans, 
some  of  them,  however,  have  found  it  the  road  to  fortune  ; 
and  among  the  latter  we  learn  is  Colonel  De  Mengen,  who, 
having  been  taken  a  prisoner  of  war,  had  the  good  fortune 
to  become  acquainted  with  Miss  Hancock,  only  daughter  of 
the  late  President  of  the  American  Conijf  s,  and  obtained 
the  hand  of  that  rich  heiress,  who  is  be>.acs  endowed  with 
the  most  aaiiable  qualities,  and  with  whom  that  fortunate 
ofificer  has  gone  to  settle  in  Philadelphia." 


142 


Letter  from  New  England, 


ery,  fighting,  or  falling  into  a  faint.  How  they  ob- 
tain it — as  obtain  it  they  do — Heaven  only  knows  ; 
but  that  the  men  are  heavily  taxed  for  their  extrava- 
gance is  certain.  The  daughters  keep  up  their  stylish 
dressing  because  the  mothers  desire  it.  Should  the 
mother  die,  her  last  words  are  to  the  effect  that  he 
daughter  must  retain  control  of  the  father's  moneybags. 
Nearly  all  articles  necessary  for  the  adornment  of  the 
female  sex  are  at  present  either  very  scarce  or  dear, 
and  for  this  reason  they  are  now  wearing  their  Sunday 
finery.  Should  this  begin  to  show  signs  of  wear  I 
am  afraid  that  th«^  husband  and  father  will  be  com- 
pelled to  make  their  peace  with  the  Crown  if  they 
would  keep  their  women-folks  supplied  with  gewgaws ! 
The  second  thing  which  attracted  my  attention  was 
the  negroes.  From  this  place  to  Springfield  few  farm- 
houses are  met  with  that  do  not  have  one  negro  family 
living  near  by  in  an  out-house.  Negroes,  in  common 
with  other  cattle,  are  very  prolific  here.  The  young 
are  well  fed,  especially  at  the  calf  age.  Take  it  all  in 
all,  slavery  is  not  so  bad.  The  negro  is  looked  upon 
in  the  light  of  a  servant  to  the  farmer,  the  negress  do- 
ing all  the  heavy  housework,  while  the  pickaninnies 
wait  upon  their  young  white  masters.  The  negro  is 
sometimes  sent  to  war  instead  of  his  youthful  owner  ; 
and  for  this  reason  there  is  scarcely  a  regiment  in 
which  you  shall  not  find  some  well-built  and  hardy 
fellows.  Many  families  of  free  negroes  are  also  met 
with  here  who  reside  in  good  houses,  are  in  comfort- 
able circumstances,   and  live  as  well  as  their  white 


Letter  from  New  England. 


143 


neighbors.  It  is  an  amusing  sight  to  see  a  young  ne- 
gress — her  woolly  hair  gathered  up  in  a  knot  behind,  a 
sun-bonnet  perched  upon  her  head,  and  encircled  by  a 
wrap — ambling  along,  with  a  negro  slave  shuffling  in 
her  wake. 

On  the  24th  we  marched  through  Cleverac  [Clav- 
erack],  a  small  hamlet  inhabited  entirely  by  French- 
men. The  pastor  of  the  place  stood  in  the  road  with 
several  of  his  fiock,  and  bestowed  upon  us  his  apos- 
tolic benediction.  We  ascertained  that  from  being  a 
stocking-weaver  he  had  developed  into  a  servant  of 
the  church.*  Thus  is  it  in  America,  and,  a'ack  !  al- 
most entirely  throughout  the  Evangelical  Church.  It 
is  but  a  short  time  since  that  a  former  sergeant-major 
in  the  Prussian  army,  who  had  become  the  pastor 
primarius  of  the  Evangelical  church  at  Albany,  cre- 
ated a  great  sensation.  Meeting  two  of  his  congrega- 
tion in  a  tavern,  who  remonstrated  with  him  for  treat- 
ing his  young  wife  too  harshly,  he  clubbed  them  so 
severely  that  one  of  them  died  from  the  effects  of  a 
broken  head,  and  the  other  had  both  of  his  arms  shat- 
tered. Since  that  time  he  has  been  wandering  from 
place  to  place  a  fugitive,  and  at  present  is  acting  as 
pilot  on  a  ship.  This  piece  of  news  was  told  me  by 
Mr.  Tielemann,  our  marching  commissary,  who  is  a 
native  of  Manheim,  and  a  member  of  the  committee 


*  This  practice  was  common  at  one  time  in  Germany.  An 
edict  of  the  year  1557  forbids  all  incompetent  artisans  from 
entering  the  priesthood  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  a  liveli- 
hood.— Note  by  Schlozer. 


144 


Letter  from  New  England. 


in  Albany,  major  of  a  militia  regiment,  proprietor  of 
a  tavern  in  that  city,  and  by  profession  a  shoemaker. 
The  English  churches  have  regularly  ordained  minis- 
ters, and  the  Dutch  churches  have  their  ministers  di- 
rect from  Holland.'^ 

We  marched  17  miles  to  the  wretched  village  of 
Nobletown,  where  we  were  forced  to  encamp  in  the 
open  air  on  account  of  a  scarcity  of  houses.  The 
night  became  so  frosty  that  in  the  morning  we  looked 
like  sugar-coated  toy-men. 

On  the  25th,  after  passing  over  miserable  stony 
and  rocky  roads,  that  Jed  partly  through  woods,  we 
arrived  at  Great  Barrington,  where  we  took  up  our 
quarters,  having  marched  13  miles.  A  rougher  and 
more  spiteful  people  I  never  saw.  Our  patience  was 
often  stretched  to  its  highest  tension  on  account  of  our 
churlish  treatment.  Most  of  our  officers  were  not  al- 
lowed to  cross  their  thresholds,  but,  in  common  with 
their  soldiers,  had  to  take  up  their  quarters  in  filthy 
stables  and  barns.  This  place  has  a  tine  and  well-built 
church. 

On  the  26th  we  passed  through  Tyringham,  and 
across  forests  and  veritable  wildernesses.  At  first  we 
swore  at  the  abominable  roads,  but  ceased  when  we 
found  they  became  worse,  as  cursing  could  not  do  them 


*  In  fact,  up  to  1820,  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  at 
Paulus  Hook  (Jersey  City)  received  all  its  ministers  from 
Holland  ;  and  up  to  1825,  the  morning  service  was  conducted 
in  Dutch,  and  the  afternoon  in  English. 


Letter  from  New  England. 


145 


justice.*  Presently  we  entered  a  large  and  wild  moun- 
tainous district,  called  Greenwood  f — dismal  enough 
to  silence  the  most  disobedient  child  by  threatening  to 
send  it  there  if  it  did  not  behave  itself.  After  march- 
ing 17  miles  we  encamped  in  this  American  Caucasus  ; 
while,  to  make  things  still  more  uncomfortable  for 
us,  it  rained  the  entire  night. 

On  the  27th  of  October  it  rained  still  more  ;  and  the 
roads  became  so  horrible  that  a  curse  was  merely  a 
waste  of  breath.  At  length,  after  marching  1 1  miles 
we  took  up  our  cantonments  in  twenty  different 
houses,  situated  about  three  good  English  miles  from 
BlanQ'"ord.  In  these  houses  seven  regiments  and  our 
escort  of  700  m.en  were  quartered.  To-day  I  felt  so 
vexed  and  taciturn  that  i  threw  myself  upon  an 
open  barn-fioor,  hoping  to  get  some  rest ;  but  the  cold, 
together  with  a  wind-  and  hail-storm  that  was  raging, 
banished  all  sleep.  Then,  again,  the  thoughts  of  to- 
morrow's  march  stung  me  more  even  than  the  fleas, 
which  seemed  to  be  holding  a  "  general  congress" 
around  my  body. 

On  the  28th  we  had  alternately  hail,  rain,  and  snow. 


*  This  reminds  one  of  the  story  of  the  extremely  profane 
New  England  wagoner,  who,  perceiving  the  loss  of  his  load 
after  ascending  a  high  hill,  sat  down  making  no  remsrk.  To 
a  passer-by  who,  knowing  the  man,  said,  "  Why  don't  you 
swear?"  he  replied — in  the  very  same  words  of  the  writer — 
"  I  can't  do  it  justice!" 

f  Greenfield  is  here  meant — a  town  in  Franklin  County 
Mass.,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut  River. 


146 


Letter  from  New  England. 


The  wind  was  so  piercing,  that,  no  matter  how  warmly 
we  wrapped  ourselves  in  our  cloaks,  it  penetrated 
to  the  very  marrow.  In  addition,  our  wet  clothes 
froze  as  stiff  as  iron.  A  grenadier  froze  to  death  upon 
the  march,  many  pack-horses  were  lost  in  the  same 
way,  and  since  that  time  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  a 
man  can  endure  a  greater  amount  of  hardship  than  a 
horse.  The  oldest  soldieu  admitted  that  they  had 
never  before  experienced  such  a  march.  Towards  even- 
ing, we  had  advanced  only  ten  miles  to  Westfield,  a 
very  neat  little  village.  The  experience  that  we  had 
passed  through  that  day  so  aroused  the  sympathies 
of  the  inhabitants,  that  they  opened  their  doors  to  us. 
It  is  the  custom  in  this  place  to  put  lightning-rods 
on  the  churches  and  all  the  handsome  buildings  and 
houses,  to  prevent  their  being  struck  by  lightning. 
From  here,  and  even  as  far  as  Boston,  you  shall  find  this 
invention  of  the  learned  Franklin  in  universal  use, 
both  in  the  cities  and  the  country.  I  have  never  seen 
anywhere  larger  cattle  and  swine.  A  certain  author, 
whose  name  I  do  not  now  recall,  did  not  lie  when  he 
wrote  that  along  the  Ccunecticut  River  oxen  weigh- 
ing 1800  and  hogs  500  pounds  (English  weight)  were 
to  be  met  with. 

On  the  29th,  the  rain  continued,  accompanied  by 
snow  and  hail.  The  roads  were  still  bad,  but  not  so 
dreadful  as  before.  After  covering  7  miles  we  arrived 
at  West  Springfield,  a  village  of  scattered  houses,  with 
its  own  church.  The  Connecticut  River  divides  this 
town  from  East  Springfield.    We  were  taken  into  the 


Letter  from  Neiv  England, 


H7 


houses  of  the  villagers.  The  people  were  tolerably 
kind,  but  damned  inquisitive.  From  this  village,  and 
in  fact  from  the  entire  neighborhood,  whole  families 
of  women  and  their  daughters  came  to  visit  us,  going 
from  house  to  house  to  gaze  upon  the  prisoners. 
From  the  general  down  to  the  common  soldier,  all  had 
to  stand  inspection.  The  higher  the  rank  of  the  per- 
son so  visited,  the  longer  they  stayed  and  "  sized  him 
up " !  I  was  delighted  when  they  soon  left  me,  but 
my  brigadier,  in  spite  of  his  horrible  grimaces,  was  not 
so  fortunate.  I  offered  chairs  to  the  pretty  girls,  and 
by  this  means  gained  time  partially  to  revenge  myself 
by  staring  at  them  in  my  turn.  Finally,  we  became 
tired  of  this  sort  of  thing,  as  one  party  after  another 
continued  to  enter  our  rooms  without  knocking.  I 
actually  believe  that  our  host  charged  an  admission-fee 
to  see  us. 

On  the  30th,  we  had  a  day  of  rest.  Early  in  the 
morning  I  had  myself  shaved,  and  powdered  my  hair. 
It  is  the  custom  of  the  women  and  girls  in  this  neigh- 
borhood either  to  sit  upon  side-saddles  or  ride  upon 
pillows  placed  at  the  backs  of  their  husbands  or  gal- 
lants. Very  often  a  young  beauty  may  be  seen  lead- 
ing an  entire  caravan  [cavalcade  ?]  at  full  gallop.  The 
young  "  bucks,"  with  their  miserable  clothing  and  fe- 
male trappings,  look  as  if  they  had  stolen  their  attire 
from  the  won. en  themselves. 

'"^n  the  31st  of  October  we  started  out,  intending 
to  c.oss  the  Connecticut  River — a  feat  which  we  were 
not  permitted  to  perform  ;   for,    notwithstanding  our 


rv 


148 


Letter  fro7n  New  England, 


entreaties,  the  regiments  were  relegated  into  a  wood 
3^  miles  distant,  by  the  Committee  of  East  Spring- 
field. East  Springfield  is  an  exceedingly  lively  little 
village,  with  very  pretty  houses.  It  is  true  that  they 
lie  from  50  to  100  paces  apart,  hut  this  space  is  either 
a  yard  or  a  garden,  which  is  separated  from  the  street 
by  a  fence.  The  gardens  also  contain  statues.  This 
place  is  a  veritable  magazine  for  the  storage  of  weap- 
ons for  the  Americans  ;  and  it  has  also  a  small  but  very 
well-built  armory  or  arsenal.  We  here  saw  various 
parks  of  artillery  with  their  trains,  and,  among  other 
things,  twelve  entirely  new  4-pounders  of  French 
make.  The  store-  or  magazine-houses  were  filled  from 
top  to  bottom  ;  and  workmen  of  all  trades  were  seen 
in  all  the  houses  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  am- 
munition-wagons, guns,  etc.  I  have  seen  here  wagons 
which  could  not  have  been  better  made  in  England, 
and  upon  which  the  *'  R.  P."  was  painted  as  neatly  as 
the  "  G.  R."  *  Order  prevailed  everywhere  ;  and  an 
old  man  with  a  wig  and  alargegray  overcoat  attracted 
my  special  attention  by  his  scolding  and  the  noise  that 
he  made.  I  ascertained  that  he  was  Master-General  of 
Ordnance  ;  and  at  that  moment  I  wished  that  my  old 

friend had  been  here  to  see  his  colleague,  look  at 

his  dress,  and  observe  the  energy  he  displayed. 

*  General  De  Peyster,  on  excellent  authority,  informs  me 
that  these  letters  stand  for  "  Reserved  Park  "  and  "  General 
or  Grand  Reserve" — "  Park"  in  the  latter  case  being  under- 
stood. "  Grand  Park  "  in  connection  with  artillery  is  a  well- 
known  technical  term,  as  well  as  "  Reserve  Park." 


Letter  from  New  England. 


149 


On  the  I  St  of  November  we  marched  to  Palmer — 
a  miserable  hamlet  some  12  miles  distant,  where 
from  necessity  we  were  obliged  to  encamp.  From 
this  place  as  far  as  Boston  mile-stones  are  set  up  at  the 
distance  of  every  mile. 

On  the  2d,  our  march  led  through  West-town  (a 
village  containing  good  houses  and  wealthy  inhabi- 
tants) to  Brockfield  [Brookfield],  15  miles  further. 
The  people  of  this  village  refused  to  admit  us  into 
their  houses,  claiming  that  neither  General  Gates  nor 
Colonel  Reid,*  who  commands  our  escort,  could  de- 
mand it  of  them. 

On  the  3d,  we  passed  through  Spencer  and  Luster 
or  Leicester,  the  people  of  which  villages  were  in  the 
same  mind  as  those  of  Brockfield,  and  treated  us  in 
a  similar  manner. 

On  the  4th,  a  short  march  brought  us  to  Worcester 
— a  thriving  little  city.  After  much  discussion  the 
citizens  finally  allowed  us  to  occupy  their  houses  and 
barns — the  battalion  of  Biirner  being  quartered  in  a 
large  meeting-house.  Our  brigadier  and  myself  lodged 
with  a  lady  of  distinction  who  had  two  sons  in 
Howe's  army,  and  whose  husband  was  residing  for  the 
time  being  in  England.  She  was  obliged  to  pay  rent 
for  living  in  her  own  beautiful  house,  and  her  furniture 
had  been  levied  on  by  the  Committee.     In  order,  also, 

*  General  George  Reid,  colonel  of  the  N.  H.  Second  at 
the  battles  of  Saratoga.  In  1785  he  was  a  brigadier-general 
of  militia,  and  in  1791  sheriff  of  Rockingham  County,  N.  H. 
He  died  September,  181 5. 


ISO 


Letter  from  New  England. 


to  make  her  life  as  happy  and  tranquil  as  possible, 
the  Commitiee  had  taken  possession  of  her  land,  and 
in  fact  exercised  a  general  supervision  over  her  entire 
possessions!  To  prevent,  moreover,  anything  from 
being  stolen,  the  Committee  have  put  large  locks  on 
the  house.  This  lady,  whose  condition  we  pitied  from 
the  bottom  of  our  hearts,  received  us  with  attention 
and  friendliness.  She  had  been  well  brought  up  ;  and 
her  two  very  handsome  daughters  seemed  to  pattern 
after  her.  Indeed,  we  hesitated  to  receive  the  many 
attentions  she  showered  upon  us,  and  insisted  upon 
doing  our  own  cooking.  The  elder  daughter  presented 
her  betrothed  to  us — a  very  worthy  young  man,  who 
in  his  turn  introduced  us  toother  reputable  young  men 
in  the  town.  These  in  former  days  had  servants  to 
wait  upon  them,  but  were  now  compelled  to  l)OW  the 
knee  before  the  gentlemen  composing  the  Committee. 
In  every  city,  village,  and  county  Congress  has  ap- 
pointed Committees,  who  rule  subject  to  its  approval, 
and  see  to  it  that  all  of  its  decrees  are  obeyed.  In- 
domitable zeal  in  the  maintenance  of  liberty  and  the 
execution  of  the  commands  of  Congress  are  the 
necessary  requisites  for  membership  in  this  Committee 
— a  membership  which  confers  upon  one  the  power  to 
rule  over  his  fellow-citizens.  These  gentlemen  were 
in  other  times  plebeians;  and  Heaven  help  him  who  is 
suspected  by  them  of  being  a  Tgry  !  Many  families 
are  now  living  under  this  suspicion.  At  their  com- 
mand the  minister  leaves  the  altar,  and  the  male  mem- 


Letter  from  New  England. 


151 


bers  of  his  congregation  grasp  the  musket  and   the 
powder-horn. 

In  this  town  we  received  15  thalers  of  paper-money 
(or  about  90  shillings  in  the  same  currency)  for  one 
guinea;  although,  according  to  a  law  passed  by  Con- 
gress, one  guinea  is  supposed  to  be  worth  in  paper- 
money  28  shillings.  Since  then  we  have  paid  the 
Americans  in  their  own  coin,  whc  otherwise  would  long 
ago  have  pulled  the  wool  over  our  eyes,  since  six 
shillings  in  paper  is  supposed  to  be  equal  to  five  shil- 
lings in  silver.  All  articles  of  food  and  drink  are  five 
and  six  times  dearer  than  formerly ;  and  all  on  account 
of  this  paper  currency,  for  which  the  public  have  no 
liking,  but  which  is  issued  in  enormous  quantities  by 
Congress  and  all  the  provinces.  Hence  all  goods 
have  been  raised  to  a  high  price  to  meet  the  corre- 
sponding [depreciated]  value  of  this  paper-money ;  for 
otherwise  the  merchants  would  suffer  great  loss.  The 
fact  that,  up  to  the  present  time,  coin  can  so  readily 
and  advantageously  be  exchanged  for  paper-money  is, 
it  is  said,  to  be  ascribed  to  the  Tories.  In  part  this  is 
true ;  for  many  Tories  have  exchanged  their  paper- 
money  for  coin,  so  that  in  case  of  their  being  perse- 
cuted by  party  spirit  they  can  easily  leave  the  country 
with  ready  cash.*     It  is  not  true,  however,  that  the 

■*  The  idea  of  the  writer  is  not  very  clear,  though  his  lan- 
guage has  been  rendered,  as  usual,  literally.  I  presunne  he 
means  that  the  Tories  having  taken  away  most  of  the  coin 
that  was  in  circulation,  thf"  Americans  were  very  glad  to 
exchange  their  paper  fc.  the  gold  and  silver  of  which  they 
stood  in  want. 


152 


Letter  from  New  England. 


r 

ii 


Tories  have  done  this  either  through  hatred  of  the 
Americans  or  a  liking  for  us.  Every  one  in  this  coun- 
try thinks  too  much  of  his  own  precious  self.  Even 
the  most  zealous  republican  tries  to  get  rid  of  his 
paper-money,  and  thinks  more  of  one  guinea  than  they 
do  of  $15  in  paper-money,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
equal  in  value  to  15  piasters.  Furthermore,  mer- 
chants who  buv  their  ffoods  from  Frenchmen  and 
Hollanders  have  to  pay  for  them  in  coin,  for  the  reason 
that  American  paper  is  not  current  in  Europe.  This 
makes  gold  very  scarce  and  high  ;  and  consequently, 
the  merchants  raise  the  price  of  goods  to  such  an 
extent,  that  they  not  only  receive  the  cost  of  the  goods 
in  return,  but  a  tremendously  big  profit  besides.  There 
have  been  times  when  17  thalers  have  been  given  for 
one  guinea.  On  some  occasions  people  come  from 
different  ^)(/ints  with  tons  of  this  paper-money,  which 
they  desire  to  exchange.  It  is  true  that  Congress  is 
very  watchful  with  regard  to  this  paper  currency,  and 
keeps  a  sharp  eye  on  the  smugglers.  The  penalty  has 
been  fixed  at  large  sums  of  money,  and  also  imprison- 
ment ;  but  there  are  so  many  ways  of  evading  this,  that 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  cafch  them  at  it.  Just  at 
present  the  French  and  Hollanders  will  take  paper- 
money  in  return  for  these  goods,  but  they  soon  come 
back  and  exchange  it  for  our  specie. 

I  will  now  give  you  several  examples  showing  the 
high  prices  ruling  here.  A  tolerably  decent  hat, 
which  I  was  compelled  to  buy,  cost  me  25  rix- 
thalers.     A  yard   of  cloth,  which  costs  2\  rix-thalers 


Letter  from  New  England, 


153 


at  home,  cost  2\  guineas  here.  Four  shirts,  that  I  was 
obliged  to  buy,  cost  me  4  guineas.  At  home  a  yard 
of  linen  can  be  bought  for  5  groschen.  The  neces- 
saries of  life  are  also  pretty  high.  The  wine  is  dear 
and  bad,  and  a  bottle  cannot  be  bought  for  less  than 
20  groschen  of  our  money.  The  paper  on  which  this 
letter  is  written  (seven  sheets)  cost  18  shillings  (paper- 
money;,  or  more  than  i  rix-thaler  of  our  money. 

On  the  5th  of  November,  we  tramped  through 
Shrewsbury  and  Northborough  to  Marlborough,  16 
miles  further. 

On  the  6th,  our  way  led  us  to  Sudbury,  a  hamlet 
in  which  we  found  a  train  of  artillery,  a  magazine, 
and  other  implements  of  war.  We  camped  in  West- 
town  13  miles  distant.  At  last,  on  the  7th,  we  passed 
the  village  of  Watertown,  marched  through  Cam- 
bridge, and  entered  the  barracks  of  "  Winter-Hill," 
where  we  are  now  living  in  misery. 

A  "  hill "  is  called  in  German  a  huge  I ;  and  the 
entire  neighborhood  between  Cambridge  and  Boston 
is  filled  with  a  number  of  equally  bare  and  treeless 
hills,  which,  for  the  most  part,  are  covered  with 
barracks.  "  Winter-Hill,"  and  "  Prospect-Hill,"  which 
adjoin  it,  have  so  many  barracks  that  on  one  the 
Germans  are  quartered,  and  on  the  other  the  English. 
The  barracks  are  without  foundations,  and  built  of 
boards,  through  which  the  rain  and  snow  penetrate 
from  all  sides.  They  contain  merely  dormer- windows  ; 
and  our  people  have  to  endure  a  great  deal  of  hardship 
while  in  them,  as  they  afford  not  the  least  protection 


154 


Letter  from  New  England. 


against  the  cold.  Batches  of  four  and  five  officers  lie 
in  holes  in  which  it  is  impossible  to  turn  one's  self. 
Wood  is  so  sparingly  dealt  out  that  there  is  not  enough 
to  keep  the  fire  burning  on  the  hearth.  Within  a  dis- 
tance of  5  English  miles  no  trees  or  bushes  are  to  be 
found  ;  and  for  this  reason  wood  is  very  dear. 

Generals  Burgoyne  and  Phillips  had  no  quarters  as- 
signed them,  and  were,  accordingly,  forced  to  take  up 
their  abode  in  a  tavern.  Major-General  von  Riedesel 
and  his  staff  were  quartered  in  some  wretched  houses 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Hills.  Afterwards,  all  the  gen- 
erals were  assigned  to  good  houses  in  Cambridge :  the 
brigadiers,  however,  were  obliged  to  remain  in  their 
miserable  quarters.  My  brigadier  and  myself  are  liv- 
ing in  a  house ;  our  room  is  on  the  ground-floor  ;  and 
the  cracks  in  the  walls  are  so  large  that  you  can  see 
everything  going  on  outside.  I  never  felt  so  cold 
before  in  my  life.  Indeed,  I  did  not  dare  to  leave  the 
hearth  ;  and  the  ink  on  my  pen  was  frozen  more  than 
a  hundred  times.  If  we  had  a  snow-storm,  accom- 
panied by  wind,  the  snow  would  be  a  foot  deep  in  my 
room.  The  poor  soldiers  in  the  barracks  had  to  en- 
dure still  greater  hardships  ;  for  they  had  neither  straw 
nor  any  covering  whatever. 

At  the  foot  of  Wintef-Hill  lies  the  village  of  Mystic, 
which  is  separated  from  the  village  of  Millford  [Med- 
ford]  by  a  small  river.  Both  villages  contain  good 
houses  and  numerous  artisans.  Boston,  a  much  larger 
city  than  Brunswick  [in  the  duchy  of  Brunswick],  is 
but  four  English  miles  dist:»nt,  and  presents,  with  its 


'■[ 


Letter  from  New  Efigland. 


155 


harbor  and  ships,  a  fine  appearance.  None  of  us,  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest,  is  allowed  to  enter  it  under 
penalty  of  being  sent  to  the  prison-ships.*  The  wife  of 
General  von  Riedesel  on  various  occasions  had  permis- 
sion from  the  Governor  to  drive  into  the  city  to  visit 
some  ladies.  Between  Prospect-Hill  and  Boston  lies 
Bunker's  Hill,  upon  which  General  Gage's  fortifications 
may  yet  be  seen.  It  is  covered  with  barracks.  Be- 
neath this  hill  lies  Charlestown,  which  was  burned 
down  by  the  above-named  general  in  his  retreat. 
Several  handsome  houses  have  already  been  erected 
on  it. 

Cambridge  is  a  small  place,  having  no  attractions 
save  Harvard  College  and  its  large  buildings.  The 
College  church  has  an  antique  Roman  appearance. 
The  houses  in  the  vicinity  of  Cambridge  are  quite 
grand,  and  give  the  neighborhood  a  look  of  impor- 
tance. Many  of  them  are  the  country  residences  of 
the  rich  merchants  of  Boston.  In  Cambridge  a  regi- 
ment of  Provincials,  together  with  a  train  of  artillery, 
lie  quartered  in  barracks  for  the  protection  of  the 
town.     There  is  also  a  large  magazine  here. 

On  a  hill  near  Prospect-Hill  a  regiment  of  Ameri- 
cans are  stationed.  They  have  drawn  a  chain  of  out- 
posts about  the  hills  on  which  we  are  quartered,  and 
through  which  no  subaltern  or  soldier  is  allowed  to 
pass  without  a  permit  from  General  Heath,  Governor 

*  So  it  seems  that  the  Americans  had  prison-ships  as  well 
as  the  British  ! 


156 


Letter  from  New  England. 


I 


of  Boston.  For  disobeying  this  order  the  offender  is 
liable  to  be  shot.  Two  English  soldiers  have  already 
been  shot  by  the  sentinels,  and  forty  English  soldiers, 
who  were  arrested  without  passes  by  the  patrol,  have 
been  sent  to  the  prison-ships.  As  yet  we  have  had  no 
such  experience  in  our  corps.  A  great  deal  of  ani- 
mosity exists  between  the  American  and  English  sol- 
diers ;  and  a  number  of  encounters  that  have  taken 
place  between  them  have  made  our  stay  here  still  more 
irksome  and  unbearable.  At  first  no  officer  could 
ride  or  walk  farther  than  a  mile.  This  has  now  been 
changed  to  a  three-mile  limit.  These  boundaries  are 
patrolled  by  sentinels ;  and  an  officer  would  risk  a 
great  deal  if  he  overstepped  these  bounds.  The  staff- 
officers  have  also  quarters  assigned  to  them  now. 
Many  have  refused  to  leave,  but  have  caused  their  bar- 
racks to  be  placed  in  better  order. 

General  Burgoyne  as  well  as  Major-General  von 
Riedesel  gave  a  ball,  to  which  they  invited  a  number 
of  ladies  from  Boston  and  its  vicinity.  The  Com- 
mittee, however,  issued  the  most  stringent  orders  for- 
bidding any  one  to  attend  ;  and  consequently  the  in- 
vited guests,  with  two  notable  exceptions,  failed  to  put 
in  an  appearance.*  These  were  the  two  Jaughiers  of 
General  Schuyler,  one  of  whom  is  married  to  a  Mr. 
Carter,t  both  of  whom  dared  to  disobey  the  order.    It 

*  A  very  small  piece  of  business  on  the  part  of  General 
Heath. 

f  This  was  Angelica,  the  eldest  daughter  of  General 
Schuyler,  a  beautiful  and  brilliant  girl,  who  married  an  Eng- 


; 


Letter  from  New  England. 


157 


was  General  Schuyler  himself  who  furnished  Major- 
General  Riedesel  with  the  addresses  of  his  two  daugh- 
ters, and  the  Committee  therefore  said  nothing  about 
it.  We  have  no  intercourse  with  anybody  excepting 
ourselves.  Large  fites  are  not  given  ;  and  Generals 
Burgoyne  and  Phillips  live  in  a  very  retired  manner. 
As  we  live  far  apart  from  each  other, — for  instance, 
General  Riedesel  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  away  from 
us, — and  as  the  roads  in  winte*-  are  in  a  wretched  con- 
dition, most  of  us  live  a  solitary  kind  of  life.  The 
German  and  American  officers  hold  no  intercourse 
with  each  other.  The  regiments  [American]  stationed 
here  are  made  up  of  militia,  and  are  mostly  working- 
men.  We  had  great  trouble  in  convincing  the  in- 
habitants that  our  officers  had  no  civil  profession  ; 
and  even  when  they  were  convinced  of  that  fact,  they 
labored  under  the  idea  that  it  was  becau  e  our  officers 
were  too  capricious  to  work. 

December  30,  1777. 
President   Hancock  has  now  been  several  weeks  in 
Boston.     His  arrival  was  welcomed  by  the  ringing  of 
bells  and   the   firing  of  cannons.     This  man,   whom 

lishman,  John  Carter  Church.  He  came  to  this  country 
under  the  name  of  Carter,  having  fled  from  England  on  ac- 
count of  a  duel.  He  was  a  man  of  large  wealth  and  good 
social  standing,  and  on  his  return  to  England  he  resumed  his 
name  of  Church,  and  entered  Parliament.  His  son,  Philip 
Church,  owned  a  beautiful  seat  about  three  miles  from  the 
village  of  Angelica,  N.  Y.,  which  he  so  named  in  honor  of  his 
mother. 


'58 


Letter  from  New  England. 


the  most  zealous  republicans  call  "the  American 
king"  in  order  to  provoke  us,  looks,  to  all  appear- 
ance, worthy  of  the  position  he  holds  as  the  first  man 
in  America.  Moreover,  he  is  so  frank  and  conde- 
scending to  the  lowest,  that  one  would  think  he  was 
talking  to  his  brother  or  a  relative.  He  visits  the  cof- 
fee-houses of  Boston,  where  are  also  congregated  the 
poorest  of  the  inhabitants — men  who  get  their  living 
by  bringing  wood  and  vegetables  to  the  city.  Indeed, 
he  who  desires  to  advance  in  popularity  must  under- 
stand the  art  of  making  himself  popular.  In  no  coun- 
try does  wealth  and  birth  count  for  so  little  as  in  this  ; 
and  yet  any  one  can  maintain  the  position  given  him 
by  fate  without  being  in  the  least  familiar  with  the 
lowest. 

Those  of  our  officers  who  are  really  captives  are  to 
be  found  purtly  in  Westminster  and  partly  in  Rut- 
land ;*  but  those  of  our  subalterns  and  privates  who 
are  prisoners  are  scattered  far  and  wide.  In  one  sense 
of  the  word  the  captive  officers  have  moie  liberty  than 
we,  for  they  are  at  liberty  to  go  wherever  they  please, 
provided  they  have  permission  from  the  commission- 
ers in  charge.  Many  of  them  have  received  leave  to 
go  to  Canada,  and  not  a  few  have  visited  us,  remain- 
ing four  weeks  and  even  longer.  They  were,  how- 
ever, obliged  to  pay  for  everything  they  bought  in 
specie,  as  they  had  had  no  opportunity  of  exchanging 
it   for  paper  currency.     Moreover,  they   have  to  pay 


ii^ 


*  In  Worcester  County,  Mass., — not  Vermont. 


Letter  from  New  England. 


159 


two  and  three  times  as  much  for  the  necessaries  of  life 
at  the  places  where  they  are  stationed  than  if  they 
were  in  Boston.  The  profit  made  by  the  merchants 
of  this  country  on  their  goods  is  almost  beyond  belief. 
If  I  buy  any  at  fourth  hand  I  can  rest  assured  that  I 
am  paying  sixteen  times  as  much  as  I  would  otherwise 
have  paid  had  I  bought  at  first  hand.  Some  articles 
would  even  be  still  dearer  than  they  are  if  it  were  not 
for  so  many  French  ships  arriving  here.  One  pound 
of  St.  Omer  [tea]  can  be  bought  of  them  for  \\  silver 
piaster,  or  2  thaler  in  our  money ;  while  the  mer- 
chants in  Boston  would  not  sell  it  for  less  than  2\ 
piasters.  The  French  pay  us  daily  visits  on  the  hills 
for  the  purpose  of  disposing  of  their  wares.  They 
also  furnish  us  with  dur  reading.  They  sell  us  come- 
dies and  tragedies  in  single  numbers,  which  they  have 
brought  along  to  wile  away  the  time  on  the  voyage 
over. 

The  captured  privates  were  at  first  confined  on  the 
prison-ships  ;  afterwards  they  were  allowed  to  go  into 
the  cities  and  the  country  and  earn  a  living  for  them- 
selves. Many  of  them  were  compelled  by  necessity  to 
do  this,  and  people  from  places  80  and  even  100  English 
miles  distant  come  to  Boston  to  hire  them.  Those 
having  trades  get  along  nicely,  and  are,  besides,  able 
to  earn  money.  Those  that  have  no  trades  are  obliged 
to  thresh,  chop  wood,  and  do  other  menial  offices. 
All  sergeants,  aye,  and  even  some  of  the  ensign  stand- 
ard-bearers, have  to  work  and  attend  upon  the  farmers. 
The  food  they  receive  is  good,  and  they  are  not  for- 


i6o 


Letter  from  New  Efigland. 


bidden  to  tap  the  cider-barrel.  Each  inhabitant  who 
has  a  prisoner  must  be  responsible  for  him.  He  can, 
however,  discharge  him,  provided  they  k  t  those  in 
authority  know  of  it.  Time  alone  can  tell  whether 
some  of  these  young  and  unmarried  chaps  will  not  be 
captured  by  the  da^ighten  of  the  people  for  whom 
they  are  working.* 

January  i,  1778. 

My  dear  Friends  :  I  wis;;  j  ^\^  a  right  happy  New 
Year,  and  expect  soon  to  have  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
from  you. 

fanuary  ^th :  To-day  we  received  the  sad  news 
that  the  worthy  and  upright  Captain  von  Dahlsijerna 
had  died  at  Albany  on  the  23d  of  December.  Here 
also,  in  the  barracks,  Lieutenant  Pfliiger,  a  brother- 
in-law  of  Colonel  Baum,  has  just  died  of  consumption. 
By  way  of  comfort,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have  re- 
ceived greeting  from  Major  Lutterlob,  formerly  in  the 
Brunswick  service,  but  now  Ouartermaster-General 
in  Washington's  army.  Major  von  Mengen  also  re- 
ceived a  visit  from  his  cousin,  a  doctor  of  medicine 
named  Schmidt.  He,  Mengen,  is  in  excellent  cir- 
cumstances, and  is  married  to  a  very  near  relative  of 
President  Hancock.f 

January  i^^th:  Our  enmii  increases  and  becomes 
almost  unbearable.     Very  often  the  weather  prevents 

*  This  proved  in  very  many  instances  to  be  the  case,  es- 
pecially in  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.     See  preceding  note. 
f  A  daughter.     See  note  ante. 


i 


Letter  from  New  England. 


i6i 


us  from  going  out  for  a  walk  or  a  ride.  The  Cana- 
dian winter  is  golden  in  comparison  with  this  ;  for 
while  there  we  never  had  such  continuous  penetrating 
and  cold  winds.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  winter 
has  been  one  continuous  storm.  The  winds  are  so 
violent  l.hat  they  cause  our  wooden  houses  to  rattle 
and  tremble.  In  connection  with  this,  the  weather  is 
variable.  One  day  we  have  a  thaw,  and  on  the  next 
the  cold  is  as  intense  as  in  Canada.  We  have  'ad  an 
astonishing  amount  of  snow,  and  yet  only  four  da^  .  of 
good  sleighing.  Sleighing  here,  both  as  reg.  rds  the 
roads  and  horses,  cannot  be  compared  with  that  in 
Canada. 

The  chief  amusement  we  have  at  preset  is  a  suit 
between  General  Burgoyne  and  an  American  colonel 
named  Hanley  [Henley].  The  former  accused  the 
latter  of  attempting  to  kill  an  English  soldier  upon 
Winter-Hill.  The  case  is  being  tried  by  an  American 
court-martial  made  up  of  two  colonels,  two  lieuten- 
ant-colonels, two  majors,  and  four  captains,  with  Brig- 
adier-General Glover  presiding.  The  mode  of  con- 
ducting these  trials  is  different  from  ours.  The 
court-house  is  an  oval  building,  having  on  all  sides 
large  church  windows  reaching  to  the  roof.  The  in- 
side is  nothing  but  a  large  hall,  the  middle  of  which  is 
partitioned  off  by  a  railing  and  two  steps  leading  to  a 
platform,  thus  making  one  half  of  the  room  one  foot 
and  a  half  higher  than  the  other.  At  the  further  end 
and  opposite  the  large  door  the  President  sits  upon  a 
chair,  which,  when  he  stands  up,  nearly  reaches  to  his 


l62 


Letter  from  New  England. 


breast.  On  each  side  of  this  chair  the  assessors  sit, 
those  of  higher  rank  occupying  more  elevated  seats 
than  those  of  lower.  All,  however,  have  a  wooden 
casing — something  like  a  desk — before  them.  In 
front  of  the  President's  chair  a  large  square  table  is 
placed  at  which  sits  the  Advocatus  Catiscs*  with  the 
plaintiff  on  his  left  hand  and  the  defendant  on  his 
right,  while  they  in  turn  have  their  counsellors  or 
assistants  at  their  side.  The  counsellors  of  General 
Burgoyne  are  Generals  Phillips  and  Von  Riedesel. 
Each  party  has  four  or  five  officers  sitting  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  table,  who,  as  well  as  the  Judge  Ad- 
vocate, take  notes  of  the  proceedings.  The  Judge 
Advocate  examines  the  witnesses  ;  and  the  President 
and  assessors,  aye,  even  the  plaintiff  and  defendant,  are 
also  allowed  to  question  them.  These  questions, 
together  with  their  answers,  are  put  down  in  the 
minutes.  On  these  trials  long  speeches  are  made 
by  either  side,  having  reference  to  the  bearing  of  the 
law  upon  the  matters  under  consideration.  In  several 
instances  General  Burgoyne  demonstrated  his  abilities 
as  a  great  orator,  and  caused  the  entire  court  to  shed 
tears.  The  trial  grows  daily  more  and  more  pro- 
tracted ;  and  it  would  seem  as  if  the  attack  made 
upon  the  soldier  by  Colonel  Henley  (who,  by  the  bye, 
has  charge  of  all  the  magazines)  was  caused  by  a  dis- 
pute between  him  and  the   English  soldiers  while  the 

*  That  is,  the  Judge  Advocate-General — in  this  instance 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Tudor. 


Letter  from  New  England. 


163 


provisions  were  distributing.  Henley's  main  defence 
appears  to  be  an  attempt  to  gloss  the  matter  over  by 
ascribing  his  aci  to  zeal  in  the  performance  of  his  duty. 
In  all  probability  ihe  minutes  of  the  proceedings  will 
be  printed.  Every  male  person  is  allowed  to  attend 
these  trials  and  to  take  notes  thereof.  The  court- 
house is  jammed  ;  for  even  the  humblest  person  is 
allowed  to  attend.^ 


*  For  the  merits  of  this  case — though  not  for  its  details, 
which  are  nowhere  described  so  graphically  or  so  fully  as 
in  the  text — the  reader  is  referred  tu  General  Heath's  Me- 
moirs. As  this  work  is  extremely  rare,  and  therefore  not 
easily  accessible,  it  may  be  stated  that  Colonel  Henley's 
offence  was,  in  the  words  of  General  Heath,  as  follows: 
"  Another  serious  matter  took  place  about  this  time  :  Colonel 
Henley,  who  had  the  immediate  command  at  Cambridge,  a 
brave  and  good  officer,  but  warm  and  quick  in  his  natural 
temper,  having  ordered  some  prisoners  who  were  under 
guard  turned  out  that  he  might  examine  them,  one  of  them 
treated  him,  as  he  judged,  with  much  insolence,  upon  which 
he  pricked  him  with  a  sword  or  bayonet.  General  Burgoyne 
immediately  presented  a  complaint  against  Colonel  Henley, 
charging  him  with  barbarous  and  wanton  conduct,  and  in- 
tentional murder."  General  Riedesel's  account  is  materially 
different,  and  is  in  these  words  :  "  On  the  8th  of  January  the 
American  Colonel  Henley,  with  his  men,  was  on  guird  be- 
hind the  barracks  on  Prospect  Hill.  In  front  of  one  of  the 
barracks  stood  eight  English  soldiers  belonging  to  the  9th 
Regiment.  They  were  engaged  in  conversation,  when  sud- 
denly the  above-mentioned  colonel  ran  in  among  them  with 
a  drawn  dagger  like  a  maniac,  and  in  an  instant  mortally 
wounded  two  of  the  group."     A  sharp   correspondence  fol- 


164 


Letter  from  New  England. 


Jan.  TfOtk  :  Up  to  the  present  time  no  one  has  been 
allowed  to  go  into  Boston,  though,  since  we  have 
had  permission  to  go  to  Charlestown  (which  is  sepa- 

lowed  between  Heath  and  Burgoyne,  which  resulted  in  a 
court-martial,  the  result  of  which  was  an  acquittal  in  these 
words :  "  The  court,  after  mature  consideration,  are  of 
opinion  that  the  charge  against  Colonel  Henley  is  not  sup- 
ported, and  that  he  be  discharged  from  his  arrest.  The 
general  approves  the  opinion  of  the  court,  thanks  them  for 
their  unwearied  endeavors  to  investigate  the  truth,  and 
orders  Colonel  Henley  to  assume  his  command  at  Cambridge 
immediately.  The  general  thinks  it  to  be  his  duty  on  this 
occasion  to  observe,  that  although  the  conduct  of  Lieuten- 
ant-General  Burgoyne  (as  prosecutor  against  Colonel  Henley) 
in  the  course  of  the  foregoing  trial,  in  his  several  speeches 
and  pleas,  may  be  warranted  by  some  like  precedents  in 
British  court-martial,  yet  as  it  is  altogether  novel  in  the 
proceedings  of  any  general  court-martial  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  whose  rules  and  articles  of  war 
direct  that  the  Judge  Advocate-General  shall  prosecute  in 
the  name  of  the  United  States,  and  as  a  different  practice 
tends  to  render  courts-martial  both  tedious  and  expensive, 
he  does  protest  against  this  instance  being  drawn  into  prece- 
dent in  future."  The  writer  in  the  text,  it  will  be  noted, 
speaks  also  of  the  long-drawn-out  trial.  Colonel  David  Henley 
died  January  1st,  1823,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  at  the 
time  of  his  death  a  clerk  in  the  War  Department.  He  was 
an  ofificer  of  merit,  and  during  his  career  held  various  im- 
portant positions  in  the  United  States  Government.  Col. 
David  Henley  has  sometimes  been  confused  by  historians 
with  his  brother  Maj.  Thos.  Henley — also  on  Gen.  Heath's 
staff — who  was  killed  in  the  skirmish  at  Montresor's  Island 
(now  Randall's)  in  Sept.,  1776. 


Letter  from  New  England, 


■65 


rated  from  Boston  by  a  small  bay),  I  have  been  enabled 
to  see  the  latter  city  from  a  short  distance.  This, 
however,  has  only  vvheUed  my  curiosity  to  see  its  'n- 
terior.  The  ringing  of  the  city's  bells  is  very  fine, 
Boston,  also,  is  famous  for  its  chimes. 

Feb.  5,  1778  :  To-day  has  been  one  of  the  happiest 
I  have  experienced  since  I  came  here.  Commissioner 
Mcssero,  who  has  general  charge  of  all  the  prisoners, 
has  brought  a  large  bag  full  of  letters  from  Boston. 
It  is  true  that  they  have  all  been  opened  and  read,  but 
this  does  not  matter.  The  letters  were  forwarded 
from  Rhode-Island  to  Boston,  and  it  is  said  that 
there  are  still  more  at  the  foriner  place.  I  received 
eight  letters  in  all,  tlie  oldest  being  dated  on  the  4th 
of  March,  1777,  and  the  most  recent  on  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember. I  cannot  convey  to  my  friends  the  pleasure 
I  experienced  on  receiving  so  many  letters,  and  in 
their  own  handwriting  too  !  Commissioner  Messero, 
a  Dutchman  by  birth,  has  been — take  it  all  in  all — 
exceedingly  friendly  to  us.  But  when  shall  this  letter 
be  so  fortunate  as  to  be  read  by  you  ? 

Our  situation  is  daily  becoming  worse.  Differences, 
disputes,  misunderstandings,  and  quarrels  seem  to  be 
the  order  of  the  day.*     The  Americans  are  beginning 

*  In  th"  connection  it  may  be  well  to  quote  from  the 
Narrative  (.  f  General  Riedesel  two  occurrences  similar  to  that 
of  Colonel  Henley,  having  a  far  more  tragical  ending,  which 
took  place  in  Cambridge  some  months  later.  The  quota- 
tion is  made  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  our  adversaries 
in  the  Revolution  suffered  nearly  as  many  grievances  at  our 


'■^mi.: 


1 66 


Letter  from  New  England. 


'  I 

\\\\ 


openly  to  accuse  us  of  breaking  the  articles  of  capitu- 
lation, and   are    unfairly  trying  to  saddle  the  blame 

hands  as  we  experienced  from  theirs.  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  the  brutal  Cunninghams,  of  unsavory  New  York  Sugar- 
house  memory,  were  not  confined  to  the  British  side. 
Here  is  the  account :  "  On  the  14th  of  June  a  new  difficulty 
arose  between  the  Provincials  and  a  Brunswick  soldier  of  the 
regiment  Rhetz,  which  cost  the  latter  his  life.  He  was  on 
the  point  of  going  beyond  the  chain  with  his  young  and 
beautiful  wife,  who  had  followed  him  from  Europe,  when 
six  brutal  militiamen  began  joking  with  the  woman  in  a 
coarse  manner.  The  husband  in  protecting  the  honor  of  his 
wife  finally  found  himself  forced  to  defend  her  and  himself 
with  a  cane  against  their  assailants.  The  sentinel  near  by 
witnessed  the  unequal  combat  with  all  composure,  but  when 
the  German  drove  back  the  Americans,  he  ran  up  and  thrust 
his  bayonet  through  him.  The  poor  man  soon  expired. 
Riedesel  again  complained  bitterly  to  Heath,  whereupon  the 
lattt.  sent  the  murderer  to  Boston  for  trial,  but  it  could 
never  be  ascertained  what  was  done  to  him.  ...  A  still 
sadder  case,  hovvcver,  occurred  a  few  days  later,  on  the  17th 
of  June.  On  that  day  the  English  Lieutenant  Broune, 
with  two  Boston  ladies,  rode  down  Prospect-Hill  in  a  one- 
horse  carriage.  [The  English  occupied  Prospect-Hill  and 
t^  Germans  Winter-Hill.]  The  road  was  very  steep,  and 
tne  horse  consequently  was  going  at  full  speed.  At  the 
foot  of  the  hill  a  double  guard  of  Americans  was  stationed, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  watch  that  portion  of  the  road  lying 
outside  the  chain,  and  also  the  storehouse  at  this  place.  The 
guard,  although  they  must  have  known  Broune  by  his  uni- 
form, nevertheless  called  to  him  to  stop.  This  it  was  im- 
possible  for  him  to  do  at  once,  as  the  horse  was  running  at 
full  speed.     He  therefore  turned  round  to  show  his  sabro, 


tt^ 


Letter  from  New  England. 


167 


upon  us.*     This  much  is  certain,  viz.,  that  General 
Gates,  it  is  said,  intends  to  throw  up  his  command 

thereby  indicating  that  he  was  an  officer.     Notwithstanding 
this,  however,  the   Americans  ran   up  with  fixed   bayonets; 
and  one   of  them,  regardless  of  the  ladies  in  the  carriage, 
fired  a  bullet  through   the  head  of  the  officer.     He  died  a 
few  hours  afterwards.     General  Phillips,  upon  hearing  of  this 
circumstance,  was  fairly  beside  himself  with  anger,  and  dur- 
ing his  first  excitement  wrote  a  note  to  General  Heath  which 
resulted  in  his  being  placed  under  arrest.     This  occurrence 
caused  a  general   excitement   in    both  camps,  especially  in 
that  of  the   English.     Some  officers  who  had  hastened  to 
the  scene  carried  their  mortally  wounded  comrade  into  the 
camp,  and  caused  his  murderer  to  be  arrested.     The  latter 
was  also  sent  to  Boston,  but  nothing  was  heard  of  his  being 
punished.     According  to  rumor,  the  fellow  was  sent  to  the 
army  of  General  Washington,  where,  perhaps,  other  oppor- 
tunities were  given  him  of  showing  his  bravery  in  a  similar 
manner  to  an  unarmed  foe.     On  the  19th  the  deceased  was 
buried  with   all   military  honors,  from  the  church   at   Cam- 
bridge, Heath  having  given  his  consent  to  it.     In  the  co''i^ge 
were  several  American  officers  of  high  rank." 

*  This  is  a  question  which  has  given  rise  to  a  vast  amount  of 
discussion,  and  regarding  which  much  has  been  written  upon 
both  sides.  It  is  certain  that  one  of  the  articles — viz. :  No. 
VI.,  specifying  that  "  nothing  belonging  to  the  king  should 
be  hidden" — was  violated,  Mrs.  General  Riedcscl,  Dy  her 
own  account,  having  secretly  packed  away  the  German 
colors  in  her  private  baggage  and  carried  them  home — a 
feat  which  she  seemed  to  consider  (see  her  letters)  a  most 
praiseworthy  act !  The  colors  of  the  9th  English  regiment, 
also,  concealed  by  Colonel  Hill  at  the  Surrender,  in  violation 
of  the  same  article,  are  now  (1891),  as  my  friend  Mr.  J.  J. 


i68 


Letter  from  New  England. 


and  refer  the  matter  to  Congress.  In  many  respects 
it  would  be  a  sad  thing  for  us  all  'ihould  we  have  to 
remain  here  for  any  length  of  time  longer  ;  though, 
on  the  other  hand,  should  we  be  sent  into  the  interior 
of  the  country  we  would  be  widely  separated,  besides 
having  to  pay  for  the  necessaries  of  life  four  times  as 
much  as  we  do  here.  No  life  can  be  more  unhappy 
than  an  idle  one,  and  knowing,  as  we  do,  that  our 
presen^  state  of  idleness  is  an  c:iforced  one,  we  pass 
our  lives  as  if  in  sleep.  We  have  no  means  of  occu- 
pying our  time,  neither  have  we  books  with  which  to 
wile  away  the  weary  hours. 

Feb.  i^th:  The  suit  against  Colonel  Henley  is  still 
on,  and  the  proceedings  are  carried  over  from  day  to 
day.  We  can  obtain  no  reliable  information  from 
the  vicinity,  and  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  believe 
nothing  that  I  hear.  The  number  of  lies  that  are 
printed  *  and  carried  from  mouth  to  mouth  is  almost 
bevond  belief.  In  reference  to  matters  in  Canada 
we  are  still  in  the  dark.  The  Americans  are  talking 
about  a  large  expedition  of  three  corps  that  is  said  to 


Dalgleish  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  informs  me,  in  the  Mili- 
tary Chapel  at  Sandhurst,  England,  and  have  been  photo- 
graphed. However,  tor  a  most  thorough  and  exhaustive 
discussion  of  this  entire  matter  the  reader  is  referred  to 
Haddcn  s  Journal^  most  ably  edited  by  Gen.  Horatio 
Rogers  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  published  by  Munsell  & 
Sons  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 

*  It  wo 'lid  seem  that  the  newspapers  of  that  day  were 
not  so  very  different  from  our  own ! 


Letter  from  New  England. 


169 


have  been  sent  to  that  province,  but  for  many  reasons 
we  do  not  beHeve  it.  General  Howe  has  his  head- 
quarters in  Philadelphia,  and  Congress  is  now  sitting 
at  York-Town.  Many  recruits  are  being  drummed 
up  by  the  Americans  and  drilled  into  shape. 

March  ist :  The  suit  against  Colonel  Henley  has 
finally  come  to  an  end,  and,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, has  ended  to  his  advantage.  The  colonel  has 
been  acquitted,  all  of  his  conduct  being  ascribed  to  his 
zeal.  We  have  had  such  penetrating  cold  that  the 
strongest  fire  on  our  hearth  has  been  insufficient  to 
keep  us  warm. 

March  i2>th:  To-day  an  officer  sent  by  General 
Burgoyne  to  Congress  returned  with  the  news  that 
Burgoyne  will  be  allowed  to  return  to  England  for  a 
time  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  But,  alas !  it  has 
been  almost  decided  that  we,  or  rather  the  entire 
army,  shall  be  detained  in  this  country,  and  that  Con- 
gress shall  not  be  bound  by  the  articles  of  capitulation. 
What  will  now  become  of  us  ?  We  have,  however,  a 
little  comfort  in  hoping  that  our  letters  may  now  per- 
haps be  forwarded  to  our  loved  friends,  but  the  per- 
mission we  have  received  to  bring  our  baggage  from 
Canada,  and  also  the  other  articles  sent  to  us  there 
from  Lower  Saxony,  hardly  consoles  us.  The  soldiers 
have  already  worn  their  clothes  for  three  years,  and 
that,  too,  on  ship-board,  through  woods,  and  during 
the  winter  in  the  barracks  !  The  officers,  who  on  leav- 
ing Canada  took  nothinf  with  them  except  tht.r 
worst  clothes  and  those  th  it  they  were  then  wearing, 


I7<^ 


Letter  from  New  England. 


are  now  sighing  for  new  apparel.  Nor  do  we  expect 
tneir  arrival  before  July.  Meanwhile  no  one  can 
foretell  what  may  happen.  I  will  send  unsealed  let- 
ters to  my  dear  friends  ;  but  it  is  little  they  will  con- 
tain beyond  the  fact  that  I  am  still  living  and  in  good 
health.  For  the  time  being,  the  letters  we  send  to 
Canada  are  also  required  to  be  unsealed. 

March  lyth :  My  letter  is  still  lying  upon  the 
table,  and  who  can  tell  when  it  will  be  sent  ?  The 
departure  of  General  Burgoyne  may  be  put  off  for 
some  time  yet ;  and  it  is  still  doubtful  whether  my 
letter  can  be  sent  sealed.  If  this  privilege  is  denied 
me,  it  shall  remain  here. 

April  2d:  Unexpectedly,  I  have  received  word 
that  General  Burgoyne  intends  to  depar:  <-o-morrow.* 
For  this  reason  I  am  obliged  to  close  my  letter  with- 
out any  further  additions,  excepting  to  send  my  best 
regards  to  my  dearly  loved  friends. 

June  \2th:  This  letter  has  been  lying  sealed  up  to 
date,  on  a  board  placed  over  my  h-.u. vh,  because  no 
sealed  letters  were  allowed  to  be  sent  ?,vay.  Captain 
O'Connelf  intends  tu  start  for  Europe ;  but  whether 


*  Burgoyne  arrived  at  Newport,  by  way  of  Boston,  the 
7th  of  April,  1778,  and  sailed  for  England  from  that  port  on 
the  14th  of  the  same  month. 

t "  Captain  Laurentius  O'Connel  [Riedesel's  adjutant] 
asked  permission  of  Riedesel  to  return  to  Europe  and  ar- 
tinge  some  pressing  family  affairs.  As  the  presence  of  this 
bruve  officer  '^ould  now  be  of  little  use,  Riedesel  did  all  in 
his  power  to  further  his  wishes.     In  the  middle  of  June  he 


^^!   % 


Letter  fro?n  New  England. 


171 


he  will  be  able  to  take  my  letter  with  him  or  not,  I  do 
not  know.     I  earnestly  hope  that  he  may. 


received  permission  from  Congress  to  return  to  Europe  on 
parole.  Riedesel  took  this  opportunity  to  send  by  him  his 
dispatches  to  his  coun;  ;  also  the  flags  which  he  had  saved. 
[See  note  ante?^  These  flags  the  captain  left  in  Rhode  Isl- 
and. They  were  afterward  carried  to  Canada  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Specht."— 5/(7;/^'i  translatioti  of  the  Military  Journals 
of  Major-General  Riedesel.  Captain  O'Connel  died  in  1819, 
as  a  pensioned  lieutenant-colonel,  in  I.eland. 


<^''  •.. 


LETTER  FROM  A  GERMAN  OFFICER,  IN 

THE    BARRACKS    NEAR    BOSTON, 

FEBRUARY  5T11,   1778. 

An  American  frigate  named  Boston  will  leave  here 
next  week  to  carry  back  to  France  thirty-one  French 
officers  who  have  been  serving  in  the  Provincial  army. 
I  have  become  acquainted  with  many  of  these  gentle- 
men, who  on  their  departure  have  offered  me  their 
services  to  communicate  with  my  relati^^es  and  friends. 
I  have  therefore  the  pleasure  of  giving  you  some  news 
by  way  of  France,  as  it  is  difficult  to  send  you  letters 
by  any  other  route. 

I  am  well,  notwithstanding  our  last  misfortune 
[Burgoyne's  defeat],  and  u  devouring  desire  to  return 
to  Europe.  Bui  not  daring  to  write  you  anything 
which  would  put  vou  an  fait  with  my  reasons  for 
desiring  to  leave  America,  I  may  say,  that  for  all  my 
reasons  I  refc  1   you  to  a  letter  which  I  have  confided 

to  our  M ,  who  his  left  us  for  Canada.     It  went 

last  December,  and  pe  haps  by  this  time  it  is  in  your 
hands. 

Our  destination  appears  very  uncertain,  and  God 

knows  whether  we  ./ill  leave  America  this  year  or  not. 

172 


Letter  frotn  the  Barracks  near  Boston.         173 

I  doubt  it,  as  it  is  rumored  that  we  are  to  be  i-^ni  into 
the  country  among  the  inhabitants.  Regardinp^  w  hich 
plan,  as  things  go,  your  compatriots,  who  are  prisoners, 
greatly  complain. 

We  live  in  barracks  upon  a  mountain  [Winter-Hill] 
two  leagues  from  Boston.  They  are  built  of  boards, 
and  the  windows  are  of  paper,  so  that  we  have  had 
plenty  of  fresh  air  this  winter.  Each  barrack  is  oc- 
cupied by  4  officers,  or  20  soldiers.  If  our  furniture 
were  better,  and  our  dress  and  equipments,  now  so 
ragged  as  scarcely  to  cover  our  nakedness,  would  only 
hold  out,  it  would  not  be  quite  so  bad. 

The  dearness  of  all  articles  in  this  part  of  the  world 
is  awful,  and  surpasses  the  imagination.  We  pay  for 
a  hat  52  florins,  while  a  pound  of  tea  costs  32  florins; 
a  shirt,  not  remarkably  fine,  3  guineas  ;  a  pair  of  wool- 
len stockings,  10  florins ;  and  as  to  woollen  cloth,  it 
cannot  even  be  obtained.  You  may  iudge  from  all 
this  of  the  situation  of  a  subaltern  who  has  for  his  sup- 
port only  his  pay. 

Fifteen  days  since,  a  packet  of  letters  for  the  Ger- 
man troops  arrived  at  Boston.  Overflowing  with  joy, 
I  expected  to  receive  some  lines  from  either  my  rela- 
tives or  friends  in  Europe.  Judge,  then,  of  my  sur- 
prise when  we  were  told  that  the  packet  had  been 
opened  in  the  town  ;  that  only  eight  letters  had  been 
forwarded  to  our  chief,  and  that  the  remainder  (some 
500  letters)  were  in  the  hands  of  the  citizens,  who  were 
passing  them  from  hand  to  hand  ! 


LETTER  FROM  A  BRUNSWICK  OFFICER. 


Cambridge,  near  Boston,  in  New  England. 

Oct.  lo,  1778. 

Heaven  be  praised  that  we  now  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  sending  off  some  letters  !  We  still  sit  here 
in  our  cage,  anxiously  waiting  for  the  hour  of  our 
deliverance.  Speaking  in  American  official  language, 
we  yet  bear  the  title  of  "  Conventionists,"  but  in 
reality  we  are  only  prisoners.  Still,  our  hopes  con- 
tinue to  be  fixed  upon  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who,  we 
trust,  will  effect  our  exchange.  >  at  .re,  it  is  true,  has 
spared  nothing,  to  make  this  countiy  in  every  vay 
pleasant  and  delightful ;  but  in  our  present  circum- 
stances we  heartily  wish  that  we  were  again  wander- 
ing in  the  wilderness  through  which  we  came  to  this 
place.  Even  the  attractions  of  the  pretty  girls  who 
are  to  be  found  here  in  large  numbers,  and  who,  being 
entirely  neutral  in  reference  to  the  war,  ardently  main- 
tain t\iQ  jus  natures,  cannot  overcome  our  longing  to 
leave  our  present  quarters. 

To  correspond  safely  has  become  more  and  more 
difficult,  and  therefore  you  need  not  expect  any  more 
letters  from   me.     The   prison-ships,  with  which  the 

174 


Letter  from  Cambridge,  Mass. 


175 


refractory  are  threatened,  are  even  now  lying  before 
our  very  eyes.  ^ 

Some  seven  weeks  ago  the  French  fleet  arrived  in 
Boston,  and  since  then  9000  more  troops  are  said  to 
have  arrived — a  circumstance  which  has  caused  every- 
thing to  be  outrageously  dear.  Neither  hav^e  we  yet 
received  our  baggage.  To  clothe  an  officer  from  fifty 
to  sixty  guineas  are  required,  according  to  present 
prices.  You  can  picture  to  yourself,  therefore,  how 
we  are  going  about !  Nevertheless  we  are  still  ele- 
gantly "frizzed"  and  "gotten  up,"  because  we  have 
abundance  of  time  to  devote  to  our  personal  adorn- 
ment. The  flour  which  is  used  for  our  bread — or,  as 
we  call  it,  poudre  royale — is  not  spared  on  our  wigs. 
The  French  officers  are  polite  enough  to  pay  us 
occasional  visits ;  only  we,  however,  do  not  dare  to 
return  the  compliment.  How  my  fingers  fairly  itch 
to  write  you  of  some  of  the  contrasts  here  presented,* 
if  I  only  dared  to  do  so.  The  French  and  Americans 
do  not  at  all  like  each  other,  and  the  former  often 
express  themselves  to  us  about  it  in  no  very  light 
terms.  Of  Canada  we  know  nothing.  The  English 
regiments  have  been  removed  into  barracks  at  Rut- 
land,f  which  the  first  of  us  who  were  prisoners 
named  Siberia. 

Several  days  since  I  received  letters  actually  dated 

*  That  is,  I  suppose,  between  the  French  and  the  Ameri- 
cans. 

t  Rutland  in  Massachusetts,  near  Worcester — not  in  Ver- 
mont. 


176 


Letter  from  Cambridge  y  Mass, 


a  year  ago,  and  were  old  enough  to  have  teeth !  They 
have  given  me  no  end  of  pleasure. 


FROM    THE    SAME. 

Nov.  13,  1778. 

I  send  with  this  an  accurate  drawing  of  a  bird's-eye 
view  of  Boston  and  of  different  Canadian  places, 
sketches  of  Indians,  etc.  If  the  rebels  had  not  cap- 
tured before  the  capitulation  my  secretary  (who,  by 
the  way,  is  now  serving  on  the  rebel  side  as  a  captain), 
with  all  my  sketches  and  drawings  of  the  campaign  of 
1777,  I  should  have  been  able  to  send  you  more.* 

On  the  25th  of  last  month  our  General  von  Riedesel 
received  orders  from  General  Heath,  the  commandant 
at  Boston,  to  put  the  German  troops  in  readiness  to 
march.  The  English  regiments,  which  for  several 
weeks  past  have  been  quartered  at  Rutland,  fifty-three 
English  miles  from  us,  have  already  set  out  for  Vir- 
ginia in  three  divisions.  Our  first  division,  which  con- 
sists of  those  of  the  dragoons  who  survived  the  affair 
at  Bennington,  Mengen's  grenadier  battalion,  and  the 
regiment  of  Rhetz,  left  on  the  9th  of  this  month  ;  the 
second  division  of  Riedesel's  and  Specht's  regiments 

*  I  suppose  that  many  of  the  officers,  generally  skilled 
draughtsmen  and  of  much  intelligence,  made  quantities  of 
sketches  illustrative  of  the  scenes  through  which  they  passed. 
What  a  treat  it  would  be  if  we  possessed  them!  Lieut. 
Aubury — attached  to  the  Army  of  Burgoyne — did  some- 
thing in  this  direction. 


I    ' 


Letter  from  Cambridge,  Mass. 


^n 


on  the  loth  ;  and  the  third  will  be  made  up  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  Burner's  battalion,  the  Hesse-Hanau  regi- 
ment, and  the  Hesse-Hanau  artillery. 

Our  destination  is  Albemarle  in  Virginia,  distant 
from  here  583  English  miles,  or  120  German.  Should 
I  have  the  opportunity,  you  may  reckon  on  receiving 
from  me  more  detailed  accounts  of  our  prospects,  the 
nature  of  the  country,  etc.  It  is  a  sorry  thing  for  us, 
and  especially  for  the  privates,  that  our  baggage,  which 
has  lately  arrived  at  Newport,  is  to  be  brought  by  sea 
to  Philadelphia,  and  will  not  reach  us  until  we  arrive 
in  Virginia.  We  will  therefore  have  to  make  our 
weary  and  painful  march  in  rags  and  tatters ;  and  will 
receive  our  clothing  and  equipments  in  a  climate 
where,  on  account  of  the  heat,  we  shall  have  but  little 
use  for  them. 


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LETTER  FROM   STAUNTON,  VIRGINIA. 

Staunton,  in  Virginia,  June  i,  1779.* 
The  departure  of  Captain  Edmonstone,+  former 
aide-de-camp  of  General  von  Riedesel,  again  furnishes 
me  with  the  longed-for  opportunity  of  sending  you 
proof  that  I  am  still  living.  Have  you  yet  received 
the  letters  I  wrote  you  in  February  of  this  year  from 
Charlottesville,  and  in  April  from  here,  J  in  the  former 
of  which  I  described  our  vvoful  wanderings  during 
the  winter  from  Boston  to  the  county  of  Albemarle 
in  Virginia,  and  which  lasted  from  the  loth  of  last 
November  until  the  i6th  of  January  of  the  present 
year?  At  least,  I  consigned  them  to  the  protecting 
care  of  all  the  patron-saints  of  Great  Britain,  that 
they  might  be  insured,  not  only  against  the  attacks  of 
Neptune  and  his  mighty  vassals,  but  against  all  Chris- 
tian flags,  pirates,  and  American  privateers ! 

*  This  letter  arrived  in  Brunswick  Nov.  lO,  1779. — Note  by 
Schlozer. 

t  A  young  Englishman  who  studied  at  the  Collegio  Caro- 
lino,  in  Brunswick,  shortly  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution. — Note  by  Schlozer. 

X  They  did  not  arrive. — Note  by  Schlozer. 

178. 


Letter  from  Staunton,  Va. 


179 


Would  to  Heaven  that  I  could  at  last  read  the  con- 
firmation of  my  hopes  regarding  your  own  welfare,  as 
well  as  that  of  our  friends  and  dearly-loved  relatives. 
Your  letters  of  September,  1777,  are  as  yet  the  last 
we  have  received  from  our  Fatherland  ;  *  and  this 
mournful  uncertainty  only  increases  our  longings  to 
hear  from  you. 

We  still  find  ourselves  in  the  same  awfully  disa- 
greeable position,  and  the  hopes  that  we  have  at  times 
entertained  have  so  often  came  to  naught,  that  we 
hardly  dare  venture  to  hope  that  we  have  finally  done 
with  our  inactivity,  confinement,  vain  wishes,  and  many 
other  vexations.  It  is  true,  that  since  my  last  letter 
our  baggage,  which  we  have  looked  for  so  long  and 
anxiously,  has  at  length  arrived  from  Canada ;  but 
even  this  pleasure  has  been  a  vain  one  to  not  a  few  of 
us.  In  my  trunk,  for  instance,  I  have  found  nothing 
excepting  articles  in  a  state  of  utter  decay,  and  from 
the  appearance  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  say  what 
they  might  have  been  at  some  former  time.  I  regret, 
especially,  one  of  my  chests  in  which  I  had  packed 
the  furs  I  had  bought  in  Canada,  and  which  is  now 
said  to  have  been  burned  in  the  service  of  the  king. 
In  fact,  I  have  saved  nothing  except  what  I  brought 
with  me  from  Saratogha.|    Indeed,  if  only  our  mount- 


*  Since  this  date  numerous  letters  have  been  sent  from 
Brunswick  to  the  corps,  and,  therefore,  could  not  have  arrived. 
— Note  by  Schlbzer. 

f  The  Indian  spelling  of  Saratoga. 


i8o 


Letter  from  Staunton,  Va, 


ings  [uniforms],  and  especially  our  linen  wear,  which 
we  ordered  from  Brunswick  in  the  spring  of  1777, 
had  arrived,  we  might  have  consoled  ourselves  for  our 
other  losses.  Now,  however,  on  account  of  the  in- 
credible dearness  of  these  articles,  we  are  obliged  to 
submit  to  paying  fifteen  times  more  for  them  than  we 
have  been  used  to  paying  even  for  the  actual  neces- 
saries of  life.  Our  remittances  of  money,  moreover, 
come  slowly  ;  and  although  we  negotiate  occasionally 
some  paper-money,  we  have  to  suffer  a  loss  at  least 
40  per  cent.  We  were  happy  in  Boston — far  happier 
however,  in  Canada.  We  are  living  here  in  such  an 
out-of-the-way  nook  of  Virginia — yes,  I  might  say,  sep- 
arated from  the  rest  of  the  world — that  we  neither 
hear  nor  see  anything  new,  nor  receive  anything  new  in 
the  way  of  reading-matter.  We  learn  of  nothing  go- 
ing on  in  our  vicinity,  much  less  of  anything  from  re- 
mote quarters.  A  few  days  since  an  English  corps 
undertook  to  make  a  landing  at  Hampton,  threatened 
Williamsburg,  and  caused  a  feeling  of  disgust*  through- 
out the  entire  province,  and  consequently  among  us. 
The  heat  here  is  intense ;  however,  the  sultry  air 
is  almost  daily  cooled  off  by  thunder-storms  as  ter- 
rible as  can  possibly  be  imagined.  Towards  the  end 
of  February  the  peach  and  cherry  trees  had  already 
blossomed  ;  but  towards  the  middle  and  end  of  April 

*  The  idea  of  the  writer  probably  is  that  they  were  all 
chagrined  that  the  English  were  not  successful  in  their 
attempt. 


Letter  from  Staunton^  Va. 


i8i 


all  the  fruit  became  frozen — even  the  rye  and  winter 
wheat  suffering  severely.* 

Of  good  neighbors  we  have  none,  because  hardly  a 
gentleman  can  be  found  within  a  distance  of  forty-two 
miles  of  Staunton.  Real  gentlemen,  however,  can  be 
met  with  nearer  to  the  coast,  who  are  very  rich  and 
jovial,  and  own  well-furnished  houses  of  fourteen 
rooms  or  more.  These  exercise  hospitality  in  the 
noblest  manner,  often  keeping  a  stranger  with  them 
for  three  weeks. 

Since  my  last,  written  from  Charlotteville,  we  have 
marched  forty  English  miles  further  to  Staunton, 
the  capital  city  of  Augusta  County.  On  our  journey 
I  passed  the  famous  Blue  Mountains,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence have  approached  nearer  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi. Staunton  has  about  thirty  houses,  of  which 
twenty-four  are  built  in  the  same  style  as  the  very 
common  ones  in  Zellerfelde. 

The  barracks  are  about  thirty-four  English  miles 
from  here,  and  this  circumstance  often  affords  me  the 
opportunity  of  giving  myself  very  healthy  exercise, 
not  to  speak  of  taking  off  my  hat  in  these  strolls 
through  the  woods  to  large  thick  snakes — who,  how- 
ever, are  quite  polite  as  long  as  my  horse  does  not 
step  on  them.  Our  barracks,  of  which  I  gave  you  a 
sketch  in  my  previous  letter,  and  which    must  have 


*  This  only  shows,  as  I  have  said  in  another  note,  that 
all  the  talk  of  so-called  weather  experts  is  mere  twaddle ! 
The  seasons  are  about  the  same,  year  after  year. 


I82 


Letter  from  Staunton,  Va. 


caused  you  to  commiserate  me,  may  be  compared 
with  those  in  the  city  of  Ninroch  in  their  best  days.* 

The  English  soldiers  have  buiiL  covered  walks  in 
front  of  their  barracks,  and  all  of  their  streets  resemble 
the  Brunswick  Yungfernstiege.f  The  Germans,  on 
the  other  hand,  being  lovers  of  vegetables,  have  laid 
out  and  planted  countless  gardens ;  and  in  order  to 
raise  poultry,  they  have  started  poultry-yards,  which 
they  have  surrounded  by  palisades.  These  German 
gardens  are  a  great  attraction  for  visitors  from  even 
sixty  or  more  miles  away  ;  and  a  cock,  which  ordina- 
rily could  be  bought  for  one  shilling,  will  now  bring 
half  a  guinea  should  he  show  fighting  qualities.  Many 
officers  who  formerly  lived  at  quite  a  distance  have 
had  barracks  built  near  the  soldiers,  which  well  merit 
the  name  of  good  houses. 

The  2 1  St  English  regiment  have  built  for  their  use 
a  large  church.     Church-yards,   wells,  in  fact  every- 

*  Other  letters  arriving  at  the  F.ame  time  with  this  letter 
describe  these  barracks  as  being  thin  partitions  of  wood,  in 
which  the  soldiers  either  ran  the  risk  of  freezing  or  of  being 
burned  at  their  fires  and  suffocated  with  the  smoke.  The 
march  to  reach  them  is  described  as  terrible,  because  night 
quarters  for  them  had  either  to  be  obtained  by  force,  or  else 
they  had  to  encamp  during  the  night  upon  snow  four  to  five 
feet  deep  in  the  woods. — Note  by  Schlozer. 

t  Literally,  "Maiden's  Hill,"  in  the  same  way  as  Maiden 
Lane,  New  York  City,  was  called  by  the  Dutch  "  Maiden's 
Valley."  At  the  time  the  writer  wrote,  the  "  Yungfern- 
stiege"  was  a  fashionable  promenade,  having  on  its  top  the 
armory  of  the  City  of  Brunswick. 


Letter  from  Staunton,  Va. 


"83 


thing  which  can  be  made,  are  in  good  condition. 
Two  American  speculators  have  lately  built  taverns, 
which  already  contain  two  billiard-tables.  A  com- 
pany of  English  soldiers  have  likewise  erected  a 
comedy  theatre,  in  which  two  performances  are  held 
weekly,  and  in  which  three  sets  of  scenery  have  already 
been  put  up.  On  the  drop-curtain  a  harlequin  is 
painted,  with  his  wooden  sabre  pointing  to  the  words, 
"Who  would  have  expected  all  this  here?"  '\\\q  par- 
quette  costs  four  and  the  parterre  two  paper  dollars. 
The  officers  lend  the  necessary  clothing  to  the  actors ; 
and  drummers  are  transformed,  for  the  nonce,  into 
queens  and  belles  !  Some  very  fair  plays  are  acted, 
which,  on  account  of  their  satirical  nature,  do  not 
always  please  the  Americans ;  and  on  this  account, 
that  their  ears  may  not  be  offended,  they  do  not  visit 
these  comedies. 

You  may  believe  that  all  of  this  is  literally  true. 
The  soldier  desires  to  show  that  he  can  laugh  at  every- 
thing, and,  in  himself,  can  find  means  to  make  life 
endurable  and  comfortable. 

A  large  number  of  houses  and  sheds  have  been 
built  by  the  soldiers,  as  they  found,  on  first  coming 
here,  that  the  barracks  were  absolutely  unendurable 
from  their  terribly  bad  condition.  As  it  is,  the  Tnen 
are  greatly  confined,  and  it  is  even  now  proposed  to 
encircle  their  already  limited  area  by  palisades.  Pro- 
visions have  alternately  been  passably  good  or  shock- 
ingly bad ;  and  extras  are  either  not  to  be  had  at  all, 
or  are  obtained  only  at  incredibly  high  prices. 


1 84 


Letter  from  Staunton^  Va. 


Heartily,  yea,  yearningly,  do  we  hope  that  ulti- 
mately we  will  be  free  once  more.  Those  officers  of 
our  corps  who  were  captured  in  the  engagements 
[battles  of  Saratoga],  >md,  being  intended  for  ex- 
change, had  already  arrived  in  Rhode  Island,  were 
obliged  to  return  to  Massachusetts-Bay,  the  exchange 
being  discontinued. 

We  thus  live  as  much  scattered  about  in  North 
America  as  the  Jews  are  throughout  the  entire  world — 
of  which  nation,  by  the  way,  very  few  are  to  be  seen, 
either  here  or  in  any  part  of  America.  In  fact,  you 
may  travel  one  hundred  miles  without  meeting  with  a 
single  family  of  that  nation. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  I  could  put  into  this  letter  a 
pipeful  of  genuine  Virginia  tobacco,  which  is  here 
smoked  without  being  prepared,  and  for  that  reason 
is  uncommonly  strong. 

Only  remain  a  friend  to  myself  and  my ,  and 

have  the  kindness  to  deliver  the  enclosed  letters.* 

*  The  captives  at  Saratogha  are  therefore  enacting  a  roll 
in  Virginia  similar  to  the  one  played  by  the  captives  in  Pol- 
tawa  in  Pi.ussia  and  in  Siberia,  sixty  years  ago. — Note  by 
Schlozer. 


LETTER  FROM  A  HESSIAN  CHAI^LAIN. 


Brookland,  near  New  York,  Sept.  7,  1776. 

I  have  put  up  some  poscS  in  the  ground  and  laid  a 
board  on  it  for  a  desk,  upon  which  I  will  write  and 
tell  my  dearly  loved  brother  that  upon  the  other  half 
of  our  globe  I  am  in  health,  happy,  and  grateful  to 
God.  I  also  walk  out  every  pleasant  morning  and  ad- 
mire the  beautiful  clouds  which  ascend  from  the  val- 
leys to  ihe  heavens  overhead. 

Notwithstanding  I  have  seen  such  solemn  and  majes- 
tic scenery  upon  the  ocean,  I  am  inexpressibly  glad  to 
set  foot  on  Staten  Island.  Scarcely  can  I  restrain  my- 
self from  kissing  God's  earth.    Is  she  net  our  mother  ? 

Our  loved  Hessians  assimilate  themselves  to  their 
surroundings  in  all  things ;  and  I  remember  them 
in  my  sermons,  and  in  my  prayers  during  the  still 
hours  of  the  night,  while  on  my  bed,  that  they  may 
be  strong  in  Christian  courage.  The  delay  of  the 
English  gtnerals  makes  them  impatient,  while  the 
offensive  look  cast  upon  the  Germans  by  the  English 
excites  still  more  their  ire.  This  state  of  feeling 
caused  lately  a  bloody  affray.  A  subordinate  officer 
of  the  Yagers,  to  whom  an  Englishman  said  while 

185 


1 86 


Letter  from  Brooklyn^  N.  Y. 


ff 


drinking,  '  God  damn  you  Frenchmen,  you  take  our 
pay,"  answered  calmly,  "  I  am  a  German,  and  you  are 

a  S y*     Thereupon,  both  of  them  whipped  out 

their  swords,  and  the  Englishman  received  such  a  gash 
that  he  died  of  his  wounds.  The  brave  German  was 
not  only  pardoned  by  the  English  general,  but  the 
latter  issued  an  order  that  the  English  should  treat 
the  Germans  like  brothers.  This  will  be  done  the 
more  readily  as  the  intelligent  German  has  already 
begun  to  speak  a  little  English. 

Our  first  movement  forwards  was  an  attack  against 
the  rebels,t  who  defended  themselves  more  poorly  than 
one  would  have  expected  from  persons  who  had  the 
stimulus  of  a  love  of  freedom.  The  slaughter  was 
horrible,  more  especially  by  the  English  troops,  upon 
whose  ranks  the  Germans  drove  the  rebels  like  sheep. 

*  The  animosity  between  the  Germans  and  French  was 
well  known,  so  that  the  English  soldier  mentioned  in  the 
text  probably  used  the  epithet  '*  Frenchman"  designedly  as 
a  term  of  reproach.  Duponceau,  one  of  Baron  Steuben's 
aides,  writing  of  his  journey  with  that  general,  says:  "I 
remember  that  at  Manheim  the  Baron,  with  a  significant 
look,  pointed  out  to  me,  at  the  tavern  where  we  dined,  a 
paltry  engraving  hung  up  on  the  wall  representing  a  Prus- 
sian knocking  down  a  Frenchman  in  great  style.  Under- 
neath was  the  following  appropriate  motto  :  *  Ein  Franzman 
zum  Preuszen  wie  eine  Miicke.  A  Frenchman  to  a  Prussian 
is  no  more  than  a  musquitoM  " 

t  The  Battle  of  Long  Island,  fought  Aug.  27,  1776.  This 
shows  also  that  the  Americans  did  more  execution  upoa 
the  enemy  than  the  latter  would  have  us  believe. 


Letter  from  Brooklyn,  N.  V. 


■87 


O  friend !  it  was  to  me  a  terrible  sight  when,  the 
other  day,  I  went  over  the  battle-field  among  the  dead, 
who  mostly  had  been  hacked  and  shot  all  to  pieces. 
Many  of  these  were  Germans,  which  gave  me  the 
greater  agony.  We  have  taken  many  prisoners,  who 
would  mostly  have  taken  service  with  us  had  they 
not  been  prevented  by  the  English. 

The  Indians,  many  of  whom  are  in  our  vicinity,  are 
not  like  those  which  Rosseau  and  Iselin  have  de- 
scribed. On  the  contrary,  they  are  all  very  obliging, 
friendly,  and  used  to  work,  supple  as  the  deer  of  the 
forest,  and  not  without  a  belief  in  God.  When  I  hold 
up  my  right  hand  towards  heaven,  they  fold  their 
hands  upon  their  breasts  and  bow  themselves  low  to 
the  ground. 


DESCRIPTION     OF     NEW    YORK,    LONG, 
AND  STATEN  ISLANDS,  IN   1776. 

New  York  Island,  in  the  Territory  of 
Harlem,  5  English  Miles  from  the  City 
OF  New  York,  and  100  Yards  from  Horn- 
HUCK*  ON  the  East  River. 

Sept.  18,  1776.1 
Dear  Friend  : 

It  was,  in  truth,  easy  for  me  to  promise  to  write 
you  a  letter  from  America  when  I  last  parted  from 
you  in  Gottingen  ;  but  really  up  to  now  it  has  been 
very  difficult  for  me  to  fulfil  my  promise.  Indeed,  I 
would  not  have  even  yet  been  able  to  fulfil  it  had  I 
not  been  living  for  several  weeks  as  an  invalid — a 
situation  nevertheless,  if  I  must  say  it,  very  agreeable  to 
me,  being  in  a  most  delightful  part  of  the  world,  and 

*  Now  *'  Harris  Hook"  (from  Eighty-ninth  to  Ninety-first 
Street,  New  York).  This  hook  was  known  in  the  P.evolution 
as  "  Horn's  Hook,"  and  previously  as  "  Horen's  Hook."  A 
strong  redoubt  called  Thompson's  Battery  was  erected  on 
this  Hook,  which  commanded  the  mouth  of  Harlem  River 
and  ^he  narrow  channel  at  Hell-gate. 

t  From  the  late  Lieutenant  Hinrich  to  the  Editor. — Note 
by  Schlozer, 

x88 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


189 


free  from  all  the  turmoils  of  war  and  its  alarms.     I 

fulfilled  my  promise  to ,  on  whose  account,  as  you 

know,  I  became  a  soldier.  Here,  then,  for  a  few  jot- 
tings down  of  the  adventures  through  which  I  have 
passed,  though  I  could  not  possibly  have  room  ♦o  tell 
you  all  that  I  have  lived  through  and  encountered. 

Last  Sunday  (the  15th  of  September)  we  laiided, 
amid  the  loud  cannonading  of  five  sloops-of-war,  in 
flat-boats  from  Long-Island,  on  New-York  Island, 
about  four  miles  from  New-York  City.  As  riflemen, 
we  were  detailed  as  an  advance-guard  ;  and  during 
the  afternoon  we  took  entire  possession  of  this  part  of 
the  Island.  Hardly,  however,  had  we  taken  up  our 
quarters  when  a  new  alarm  on  the  part  of  the  rebels 
obliged  us  to  turn  out.  I  had  the  right  wing  of  the 
advanced  guard  ;  and  as  our  march  led  us  towards 
King's-Bridge,  I  was  most  of  the  time  near  the  East 
River,  along  whose  banks  are  the  most  beautiful 
houses.  I  had  the  honor  of  taking  possession  of  these 
handsome  dwellings,  and  also  of  the  enemy's  battery, 
where  I  found  five  cannon.  The  rebels  fled  in  every 
direction.  All  of  these  houses  were  filled  with  furni- 
ture and  other  valuable  articles  lawful  prizes  of  war ; 
but  the  owners  had  fled,  leaving  all  their  slaves  behind. 
In  a  day  or  two  after,  however,  one  head  of  the  family 
after  another  appeared  ;  and  tears  of  joy  and  thank- 
fulness rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  these  once  happy 
people  when,  to  their  great  surprise,  they  found  their 
houses,  fruits,  animals,  and  furniture  intact,  and  learned 
from  me  that  I  had  only  taken  possession  of  them  for 


190 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


their  protection.     Nor  could  they  believe  me  until  I 
had  turned  their  property  over  to  them. 

A  day  or  two  since,  the  rebels,  4000  strong,  at- 
tacked our  pickets ;  and  we  had  to  endure  a  heavy 
fire  until  afternoon,  when  I  heard  that  they  had  been 
repulsed.  I  say  "  heard  ; "  for  at  one  o'clock  I  was 
forced  to  leave  the  field,  having  been  shot  through  the 
left  side  of  my  breast  by  a  rifle  ball,  four  fingers'  width 
from  the  heart.*  To  whose  care  could  I  more  safely 
trust  myself  than  those  very  people  who  called  me 
yesterday  their  benefactor  and  savior,  and  who  re- 
ceived me  in  the  most  friendly  manner  and  with  open 
arms  ?  As  I  had  never  liked  noise,  and  now  much 
less  than  ever,  instead  of  choosing  a  palatial  residence, 
as  I  could  have  done,  I  selected  a  little  house  on  the 
East  River,  in  which  the  widow  of  a  preacher,  Ogilby,f 


*  For  the  details  of  this  engagement,  known  as  the  battle 
of  Harlem,  the  reader  is  referred  both  to  Mrs.  Lamb's  and 
to  my  "  History  of  New  York  City."  The  British  stretched 
from  "  Horn's  Hook"  (where  this  letter  is  dated)  to  "  Mc- 
Gowan's  Pass,"  and  across  the  beautiful  hills  to  the  northwest, 
their  left  flank  resting  on  the  Hudson. 

f  The  Rev.  John  Ogilvie  here  mentioned  was  the  pastor  for 
many  years  of  St.  George's  Chapel,  built  by  Trinity  Church, 
on  the  corner  of  Cliff  and  Beekman  Streets,  New  York  City, 
and  which  some  years  since  gave  way  to  the  march  of  improve- 
ment. His  death  is  thus  described  in  my  **  Histoiy  of  New 
York  City:"  "  One  of  the  melancholy  events  associated  with 
this  old  church  [St.  George's  Chapel]  was  the  sudden  death 
of  Rev.  John  Ogilvie,  who,  on  the  i8th  of  November,  1774, 


h  1 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


igr 


from  New  York  had  taken  up  her  abode,  together 
with  a  large  number  of  children  and  grandchildren. 
Not  far  from  here  was  the  house — or  rather  the  palace 
— of  her  old  father,  who  had  managed  to  retain  a  large 
store  of  porcelain,  wine  and  brandy.  All  these  people 
returned  last  evening  ;  and  the  sensation  I  experienced 
when  I  saw  mother  and  children,  and  grand-father  and 
grand-children,  etc.,  and  even  the  black  children  of  the 
slaves,  hugging  and  kissing  each  other,  excited  me  to 
such  an  extent  that  my  wound  threw  me  into  a  fever 
during  the  night.  The  amount  of  flattery  that  these 
good  people  bestowed  upon  me — which  I  did  not 
deserve,  as  1  was  only  obeying  orders — cannot  be 
imagined.  Oh  !  how  much  I  could  tell  you  of  this 
happy  country  ;  but  I  see  that  my  paper  is  already 
half  full,  and  I  have  not  as  yet  told  you  how  I  came 
to  this  land,  nor  what  experiences  I  have  met  with 
since  I  saw  you  last. 

My  narrative  naturally  divides  itself  into  two  parts, 
viz.,  my  experiences  upon  water  and  land. 

I  St.  From  Bremerlehe,  by  way  of  Portsmouth  and 
Halifax,  to  Staten  Island. 

Of  our  life  and  deeds,  the  truth  and  the  lies  all 
mingled  together,  you  have  doubtless  read  in  all  the 
newspapers.  I  will  therefore  pass  over  everything,  con- 
fining myself  to  the  Hamburg  correspondents.  I  now 
take  my  journal  in  hand,  and  as  soon  as  I  meet  with 

while  delivering  one  of  his  Friday-evening  lectures,  was  sud- 
denly stricken  with  apoplexy." 


192 


Letter  from  New  York  Island, 


anything  in  it  which  I  think  will  prove  of  interest  to 
you,  I  will  jot  it  down  ;  so  do  not  lose  a  night's  sleep 
in  bothering  over  its  chronology  and  synchronisms. 

The  sea  is  never  green,  and  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay  is 
not  black,  as  several  officers  have  lately  described  it. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  the  color  of  the  sky. 

The  air  on  the  fishing-banks  of  Newfoundland  is 
so  cold,  that  although  it  was  in  the  middle  of  June,  I 
almost  ^roze  in  a  fur-coat.  This  is  caused  by  a  fog, 
year  in  and  year  out,  which  covers  the  banks  and  the 
entire  coasts  of  North  America  to  a  distance  of  15 
German  miles  from  the  land. 

The  sea  has  different  degrees  of  saltness.  On  the 
sand-banks  it  is  less  salty  than  in  the  deep  sea,  while 
on  the  coast  of  Scotland  it  is  still  less  so.  The  nearer 
it  is  to  the  equator  the  less  salty  it  is. 

On  the  fishing-banks  I  saw  French  ships  sailing 
hither  and  thither,  and  regarded  them  with  pity.  Just 
look  at  the  former  French  possessions  in  this  part  of 
the  globe  on  a  map  of  North  America  for  the  year 
1755,  and  then  compare  them  with  what  now  remains 
to  them  on  Danville's  map  of  North  America :  two 
islands,  Miquelon  and  St.  Pierre,  the  sole  remainder 
of  their  former  conquests,  and  neither  of  which  is  able 
to  support  more  than  two  hundred  inhabitants. 

Halifax  is  a  wretched  city.  The  streets  are  mere 
sandy  roads,  lined  on  either  side  with  rows  of  barracks, 
and  inhabited  by  shoemakers,  brewers  (who  brew  the 
beer  from  the  bark  of  trees,  and  which  is  very  good*), 

*  Spruce  beer. 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


J  93 


and  people  of  that  class.  The  churches  are  each  of  them 
merely  a  house  about  twenty  or  more  paces  long,  and 
the  arsenal  and  Government-House  are  only  passable. 
Poverty,  crude  art,  and  scarcity  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment are  to  be  seen  everywhere ;  houses  built  only 
of  a  few  boards,  and  of  exceedingly  rude  and  primitive 
appearance,  stand  in  a  meadow.  Horned  cattle  were 
scarce  and  very  small ;  and  the  few  that  were  to  be 
seen  were  without  herders.  The  forts  and  batteries 
were  simply  composed  of  freshly  thrown  up  mounds 
of  sods.  Many  New-Englanders  have  come  here  from 
Boston,  and  this  influx  may  probably  help  develop 
the  province. 

Upon  anchoring  at  Sandy  Hook,  I  took  a  sketch  of 
the  vicinity,  taking  in  its  harbor,  with  the  result,  that 
I  found  that  all  the  charts  designated  the  east-south- 
easterly point  of  Staten  Island  incorrectly.  They 
draw  the  point  in  the  shape  of  an  obtuse  angle,  where- 
as it  projects  so  prominently  that  when  you  enter  close 
by  Sandy  Hook  you  are  obliged  to  sail  in  a  somewhat 
southerly,  then  in  a  northerly,  and  then  in  a  westerly 
direction  before  you  can  see  the  ravelm.  I  have 
rectified  this  error  on  my  chart. 

On  the  1 2th  of  August,  we  entered  the  harbor  of 
New  York,  or  Sandy-Hook,  and  cast  anchor  off 
Hendrick's  Point.  All  that  could  be  seen  in  the  har- 
bor was  a  fleet  of  450  sail,  and  also  a  number  of  boats 
which  patrolled  the  enemy's  coasts,  both  to  guard 
against  our  fleet  being  set  on  fire  and  to  intercept 
deserters.     Just  imagine  to  yourself  one  of  the  finest 


194 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


of  harbors,  in  which  looo  ships  can  ride,  and  also 
fancy  the  actual  number  of  vessels  all  crowded  with 
human  beings,  and  surrounded  at  the  same  time  with 
a  vigilant  enemy  !  Think  also  of  our  enjoying  the 
finest  of  weather  ;  and  all  of  these  troops,  bound  upon 
a  mission  on  the  success  of  which  depends  the  welfare 
not  only  of  England,  but  of  this  powerful  and  proud 
country ;  and,  again,  remember  that  we  are  engaged 
upon  an  undertaking  on  which  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
world  are  now  fixed.  So  much  regarding  my  sea- 
voyage. 

Now  in  regard  to  my  stay  on  Staten,  Long,  and 
New  York  Islands. 

Staten-Island  is  a  hilly  country,  covered  with  beau- 
tiful forests  composed  mostly  of  a  kind  of  fir-tree,  the 
odor  of  which  can  be  inhaled  at  a  distance  of  two 
miles  from  land.  The  island  itself,  however,  is  but 
sparsely  settled.  The  soil  is  fruitful.  Peaches,  chest- 
nuts, apples,  pears,  grapes,  and  various  kinds  of  nuts 
grow  here  in  wild  profusion,  mingled  with  roses  and 
blackberry  bushes.  The  climate  and  soil  are,  without 
exception,  the  loveliest,  healthiest,  and  most  agreeable 
on  the  face  of  the  globe ;  and  a  person,  were  he  so 
disposed,  could  easily  lay  here  the  foundations  of  a 
great  fortune  for  his  progeny  should  he  invest  a  rea- 
sonable sum  in  land.  Just  about  this  time  everything 
is  still  in  an  uncivilized  and  poverty-stricken  state, 
for  the  foraging  parties  of  the  rebels  and  the  different 
encampments  of  his  Majesty's  troops  have  stripped 
the  country  of  all  the  necessary  articles  of  life.     The 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


195 


so  called  "  Old  and  New-Town"  consists  of  two  houses 
scarcely  25  feet  square,  the  walls  and  roofs  of  which 
are  covered  with  boards.  The  soldiers  have  eaten  up 
most  of  the  horned  cattle  hereabouts,  but  what  few 
are  left  are  very  good  eating.  The  houses  are  miser- 
able. The  inhabitants  are  mostly  descendants  of 
Hollanders,  and  for  this  reason  the  German  language 
is  pretty  well  known  here.  The  house  of  Colonel 
von  Donop  belongs  to  a  person  named  Koch  from 
Hanau.  I  have  seen  quite  a  number  of  blacks,  who 
are  just  as  free  as  the  whites.  On  the  whole,  nearly 
everything  here  is  the  same  as  with  us  at  home — the 
same  kinds  of  bushes  and  trees ;  but  as  the  soil  is 
richer  here,  the  leaves  grow  larger  and  the  wood 
thicker.  Staten-Island  was  during  two  months  the 
only  land  in  all  North  America  which  England  held 
possession  of ;  that  is,  if  I  except  Canada  and  New 
Scotland,  her  conquests  during  the  last  war. 

Long-Island  is  a  beautiful  island.  It  has  a  great 
number  of  meadows,  orchards,  fruit-trees  of  all  de- 
scriptions, and  fine  houses  ;  while  cattle  are  still  to  be 
found  in  large  numbers,  notwithstanding  the  immeni> . 
droves  which  the  rebels  carried  off  with  them  on  their 
retreat.  The  inhabitants,  with  few  exceptions,  have 
deserted  their  residences.  When  we  landed  on  the 
22d  of  August  we  marched  through  Gravesend  and 
New  Utrecht,  and  the  same  evening  we  entered 
Flatbush.  I  made  a  sketch  of  Flatbush,  as  we  were 
here  five  days,  and  during  our  stay  we  had  several 
encounters  with  the    rebels.     It  was  a  beautiful  vil- 


196 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


lage  before  these  cut-throats  burned  down  the  greater 
part  of  it.  There  are  still  standing,  however,  several 
country  residences. 

Newtown  has  several  streets, Brookleein  Kirk,  etc.,  is 
a  continuous,  long  street  lined  with  trees  and  houses 
in  close  proximity  to  each  other.  Here  are  to  be  seen 
neat  little  houses  surrounded  by  gardens,  meadows,  and 
fruit-trees  of  every  variety.  In  Newtown  are  one 
Dutch  Reformed  and  two  English  churches.  New- 
town includes  Freshboneand  Little  Battein,  both  con- 
taining a  few  houses.  Nearly  all  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Freshbone  are  Quakers,  who  have  a  meeting-house. 
The  Quakers  are  not  rebels :  on  the  contrary,  they 
have  publicly  proclaimed  in  all  of  their  gatherings  and 
churches  that  whosoever  went  armed  would  lose  their 
membership.  In  Jamaica-town  there  are  three 
churches,  viz.,  an  English,  a  Presbyterian,  and  a  Dutch 
Reformed.  Quakers  are  not  to  be  met  with  in  this  place. 
The  market-town,  "New-York  ferry,"  is  made  up  of  a 
number  of  houses  in  a  row,  and  mechanics  and  artisans 
are  already  beginning  to  thrive.  I  have  made  a  sketch 
of  it,  because  it  is  so  nicely  situated.  The  country 
around  Jamaica  is  generally  level  and  pleasant  to  the 
eye.  From  here  a  road  leads  to  Hemstead,  where 
lovely  plains  and  patches  of  forest  bordered  by  hillocks 
are  to  be  seen.  In  fact,  standing  upon  an  elevation 
in  the  midst  of  the  large  and  small  Hemstead  Plains, 
looking  seaward  towards  the  beach,  the  eye  takes  in 
one  of  the  most  charming  landscapes  imaginable. 
Hemstead  is  a  "church  village,"  having  an  English 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


197 


[i.e.  Episcopal]  and  a  Presbyterian  church.  It  consists 
of  a  large  extent  of  ground,  although  in  Hemstead  itself 
there  are  but  few  houses.  The  inhabitants  are  a  rich  and 
well-to-do  people,  as,  indeed,  are  all  the  residents  of 
Long- Island,  for  they  possess  a  country's  true  wealth, 
viz.,  land.  In  fact,  they  are  rich  landed  proprietors.  A 
great  many  Quakers  live  here.  Between  Bush*  and 
Newtown  there  are  many  houses,  and  also  the  village 
kirk,f  which  belongs  to  Newtown. 

The  boundaries  between  King's  and  Queen's  coun- 
ties have  been  incorrectly  given  upon  all  the  charts, 
even  on  the  one  belonging  to  Holland.  The  northern 
boundary-lines  begin  at  the  ocean, J  in  the  vicinity  of 


*  Flatbush  probably,  though  it  might  have  been  Bush- 
wyck. 

t  Or  "  Krick."  On  account  of  the  ink  being  very  pale,  it  is 
difficult  for  me  to  make  out  all  the  proper  names. — Note  by 
Schlozer.  Kirk,  of  course,  is  correct,  and  refers  to  the  old 
Dutch  church  belonging  to  Newtown,  and  built  about  1665. 
The  first  church  built  in  N.  Y.  City  was  called  "  Gereformeede 
Kerch,"  and  Governor  Kief  and  three  citizens  were  the  first 
"  kerk  meesters."  What  a  little  bothered  Schlozer,  I  sup- 
pose, was  the  fact  that  the  word  Krick  (Newtown  Creek)  is 
met  with  a  little  further  on. 

\  The  writer  wrote  "  ocean"  purposely  and  not,  as  it  might 
at  first  be  inferred,  through  ignorance.  In  the  journal  of  a 
Labadist  (published  in  my  *'  History  of  New  York  City"),  who 
wrote  intelligently  of  his  visit  to  New  York  in  1679,  occurs 
this  minute:  *'  The  water  by  which  it  [Long  Island]  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  Mahatans  is  improperly  called  the  East 
River ;  for  it  is  nothing  else  than  an  arm  of  the  sea,  beginning 


198 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


Blackwell's  Island  ;*  run  through  Krick.f  with  New- 
town, Freshbone,  Little  Battein  J  and  Flushing  on 
the  left;  intersect  the  highway  leading  to  Jamaica^ 
and  end  in  an  inlet  on  Jamaica  Bay.  I  have  cor- 
rected these  errors  and  the  location  of  New  Utrecht 
upon  my  chart,  and  have  made  a  new  map  of  the 
western  part  of  Long-Island,  comprising  the  counties 
of  Kings'  and  Queens'.  The  whole  island  forms  an 
exquisite  picture.  You  can  ride  nearly  an  English 
mile  in  these  two  counties  without  seeing  a  house. 
The  inhabitants  are  generally  sprightly,  and  roguishly 
inclined.  The  air  here  in  September  is  most  agree- 
able. Winter  begins  in  December  and  ends  with  the 
first  or  last  of  March.     We  often  have  heavy  falls  of 


in  the  bay  on  the  west  and  ending  in  the  sea  on  the  east. 
After  forming  in  this  passage  several  islands,  this  water  is  as 
broad  before  the  city  as  the  Y  before  Amsterdam,  but  the 
ebb  and  flood  tides  are  stronger." 

*  It  is  really  one  mile  south  of  that  island. 

f  This,  of  course,  is  Newtown  Creek,  or,  as  it  was  then 
called,  "  Maspeth  Creek."  From  the  head  of  Maspeth  Creek 
the  boundary  ran  "  due  south  to  certain  marked  trees  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Hills ;"  then  from  "  Newtown  bounds  at  the 
s.w.  edge  of  the  Hills  ;  the  n.w.  corner  [of  Jamaica]  begin- 
ning at  certain  mark't  trees  at  ye  edge  of  ye  said  Hills,  from 
whence  to  run  in  a  south  line  to  a  certain  river,  that  is  to  the 
cast  of  Plunder's  Neck,  and  bounded  south  by  ye  sea." 

X  Freshbone  and  Little  Battein  were  small  hamlets  of 
perhaps  half  a  dozen  houses,  on  the  left  bank  of  Maspeth  or 
Newtown  Creek  going  up.  They  are  now  both  within  the 
bounds  of  Long  Island  City. 


Letter  from  Ni.      York  Island. 


199 


snow,    which    furnishes   good   sleighing    every   year. 
Sometimes  the  winters  are  wet ;  hut  the  summers  are 
generally  dry,  except  in  the  month  of  August,  when 
thunder-storms  are  frequent.     Tobacco  is  not  cultivat- 
ed in  Kings'  County,  although  it  is  in  Jamaica.     Every 
one  living  here  enjoys  in  time  of  peace  an  agreeable, 
ur.  form,  and    healthy   life.      The    horned  cattle  are 
strong  and  plentiful.     The  products  of  the  garden  are 
the  same  as  with  us  at  home.  The  ladies  on  this  island 
are  not  ugly,  and  upon  the  mainland  are  even  said 
to  be  pretty.     The  easy — in  fact,  I  might  say,  the  too 
easy — life  these  people  led  caused  them  to  become 
overbearing ;  nevertheless,   had  it  not   been  for   the 
cabals  in  England,  and  especially  in  London,  matters 
would  not  have  been  so  bad  as  they  are  now.     The 
more  I  look  upon  this  country,  with  its  lovely  mead- 
ows, its  bountiful  crops  of  corn  and  hemp,  and  its 
beautiful  fruit-gardens,  the  more  I  envy  the  former 
happy  inhabitants  of  this  excellent  land,  and  the  more 
I  pity  those  unhappy  ones  who  are  now  suffering  from 
the  intrigues  and  secret  envy  of  their  fellow-citizens. 
I  saw  barns  filled  with  the  treasure  of  the  husband- 
man, but  nowhere — or  at  least  but  seldom — did  I  meet 
with  an  inhabited  house  ;  for  nearly  all  had  been  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  the  war  and  the  English.      Peach 
and  pear  trees  were  more  generally  seen  growing  in 
the  streets ;  but  pear-trees  were  not  so  plentiful. 

Blackwell's  Island  belongs  to  the  island  of  New- 
York.  It  is  a  dull,  barren  piece  of  land,  and  is  two 
English  miles  in  length,  by,  in  its  widest  part,  a  quar- 


200 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


ter  of  a  mile  broad,  ^ree  blacks  live  here,  but  there 
are  in  all  only  thi  ouses.  There  are  many  blacks 
on  NevvrYork  Island,  but  few  of  them  are  free. 

On  the  north  lies  Bahama,*  or  Passon's  Island,  beau- 
tifully situated.  It  has  meadows  and  fruit  land,  and 
some  woods  on  the  southwest  side. 

Still  further  north  lies  Belief  Island,  also  a  lovely 
spot.  It  had  only  one  house,  and  even  this  has  been 
destroyed  by  the  rebels.  It  lies  just  beyond  Harlem, 
with  Westchester  on  the  other  side.  It  belongs  to  a 
Captain  Montresor,  of  the  English  corps  du  ghiiCy 
who  remained  with  the  army,  and  is  therefore  often 
called  Montresor's  Island.  J 

*  Probably  a  misprint  for  Buchanan' s  Island,  as  it  was 
called  at  that  day.  Schlozer — see  note  ante — says  he  was 
unable  sometimes  to  make  out  the  proper  names  in  these 
letters. 

f  The  "  Bahama"  and  "  Belle"  Islands  are  now  known  as 
Ward's  and  Randall's  Islands. 

%  "Captain  John  Montresor  [afterwards  Colonel]  purchased 
in  1772  an  island  near  Harlem  called  Belle  Isle.  Since  its 
purchase  it  has  been  known  as  Montresor's  and  as  Randall's 
Island.  He  and  his  family  lived  on  it  during  the  British  as- 
cendancy in  New  York,  until  all  the  buildings  and  outhouses 
were  burnt." — Introduction  to  the  Journal  of  Captain  John 
Montresor.  The  following  is  an  entry  in  the  above  Journal : 
"  13th  Jan.  1777:  This  night  (Monday)  my  House  and  out- 
houses, Barns  and  outhouses,  on  Montresor's  Island,  formerly 
called  Belle-Isle,  and  afterwards  Talbot's  Island,  near  Haer- 
lem,  and  8  miles  from  New  York,  was  \sic'\  burnt  by  the 
Rebels."    "  Nov.  7th,  1772,  is  the  date  of  the  Deeds  for  Belle 


Letter  front  New  York  Island. 


20 1 


The  island  of  New  York  is  the  most  beautiful  isl- 
and I  have  ever  seen.  No  superfluous  trunk,  no  use- 
less twig,  no  unnecessary  stalk,  can  here  be  found. 
Projecting  fruitful  hillocks,  surrounded  by  orchards, 
meadows,  and  gardens  full  of  fruit-trees,  and  single 
ones  scattered  over  the  hills,  with  houses  attached,  line 
both  sides  of  the  river,  and  present  to  the  eye  a  beau- 
tiful scene.  The  houses,  which  are  two  stories  high 
and  painted  white,  are  encircled  by  a  piazza,  and  have 

Isle,  formerly  Little  Barn  Island,  and  afterward  Talbot's 
Island,  and  now  purchased  by  me,  John  Montr^sor,  on  the 
above  day  and  year.  The  first  grant  of  this  Island,  com- 
monly known  by  the  name  of  Little  Barn  Island,  was  by 
Richard  Nicolls,  Esqr.,  first  Governor  of  New  York,  onto 
Thomas  Delavall,  Esqr.,  Collector  and  Receiver  General  of 
the  Customs  in  these  parts  Feb.  the  3d,  1667,  in  the  20th 
year  of  his  Majesty's  reign." 

Captain  John  Montr^sor  was  the  eldest  son  of  Colonel 
James  Montr6sor,  who  was  Director-General  of  Engineers 
and  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  British  army.  Served  under 
Abercrombie  against  Ticonderoga,  and  drew  the  plan  of 
Fort  Stanwix  during  the  same  summer — in  1759.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1775,  he  (Captain  John)  was  made  by  George  III.  "  Chief 
Engineer  of  America."  He  was  present  in  May,  i  ^^^,  at,  and 
acted  as  one  of  the  managers  of  the  celebrated  ball  called 
the  "  Mischianza"  (gotten  up  by  Major  Andr6),  which  was 
given  by  the  British  ofificers  to  Sir  William  Howe  in  Phila- 
delphia, on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  England.  "  He  had 
charge  of  the  fireworks  and  ball-room  decorations,  and  was 
accompanied  on  that  occasion  by  Miss  Auchmuty,  one  of 
the  half-sisters  of  Mrs.  Montr^sor,  whose  mother  had  remar- 
ried the  Rev.  Samuel  Auchmuty,  D.D.,  of  N>,w  York.     He 


202 


Letter  from  New  York  Island. 


a  weather-vane  on  top.  They  are  also  surrounded  by 
beautiful  walks,  and  are  built  and  furnished  in  the 
best  of  taste.  The  Hudson  has  a  strong  current,  and 
is  salty  fifteen  miles  inland. 

So  much  for  this  time  from  one  who  is  always  on 
guard,  watching,  investigating,  aid  writing  at  spare 
moments.  One  word  more.  You  have  heard  of  the 
Huguenot  war  in  France?  Well,  what  there  was 
Religion,  is  here  Liberty — fanaticism  both  ! 

was  born  April  6,  1736,  at  Gibraltar,  and  died  at  Portland 
Place,  London,  June  26,  1799.  The  name  of  Capt.  Mon- 
tr^sor,  also,  is  associated,  through  Mrs.  Rowson's  book,  with 
the  ill-fated  Charlotte  Temple  (Stanley),  whom  rumor  as- 
signed as  his  mistress.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the 
story  never  had  more  foundation  than  that  given  it  by  the 
gossipy  articles  in  the  partisan  newspapers  of  the  day.  Capt. 
Montr^sor  married  at  New  York,  March  i,  1764,  Frances 
Tucker, — only  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Thos.  Tucker  of  Ber- 
muda, and  a  relative  of  Dr.  Auchmuty,  the  rector,  at  that 
time,  of  Trinity  Church, — by  whom  he  had  ten  children. 


LETTER    FROM    RHODE   ISLAND. 


[FROM   A  HESSIAN  OFFICER  TO   HIS  BROTHER.] 

Rhode-Island,  June  24,  1777. 
My  last  letter  of  April  5th  from  Portsmouth  I  hope 
you  have  received.  I  then  informed  you  that  Ensign 
and  myself  were  together  on  the  transport  Prov- 
idence, and  that  we  would  remain  on  that  vessel  until 
we  reached  America.  In  consequence,  however,  of 
Lieutenant being  on  board,  who  by  his  astound- 
ing bragging  is  the  most  unbearable  man  in  the  world, 
it  was  impossible  for  us  to  get  along.  We  therefore 
changed  our  minds  the  day  before  our  departure  on 
the  5th  of  April,  and  went  with  our  officers  on  board 

the  transport  Lively,  where  we  found   Ensigns 

and .     On  this  vessel,  besides  having  congenial 

companions,  we  had  much  more  beautiful  and  com- 
modious staterooms  ;  and  although  the  commander  of 
the  entire  fleet  had  his  separate  sleeping-apartment, 
which  took  up  much  space,  yet  each  of  us  also  had 
his  own  sleeping-room,  which  could  be  locked ;  where- 
as on  board  the  Providence  there  was  but  one  room 

for  our  whole  party. 

203 


204 


Letter  from  Rhode  Island. 


m 


On  the  7th  of  April,  after  waiting  in  vain  for  our 
chasseurs,  we  weighed  anchor  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  set  sail ;  our  convoy  being  accompanied 
by  the  man-of-war  Somerset,  of  74  guns,  on  which 
was  the  English  General *  [Howe],  who,  it  was 

*  General  Howe.  In  this  connection  it  is  interesting — in 
these  days  of  vandalism — to  learn  that  the  Billopp  Manor- 
house  on  Staten  Island,  opposite  Perth  Amboy,  is  still  (1891) 
standing.  The  residence  is  near  Tottenville,  and  was 
erected  by  Colonel  Billopp  upon  land  granted  to  him  by 
Queen  Anne.  During  the  Revolution  Lord  Howe  used  it 
for  his  headquarters  at  one  time.  The  history  connected 
with  the  place  is  curious.  Lord  Howe,  as  mentioned  in 
the  text,  wished  to  confer  with  the  "  rebels,"  and  to  ar- 
range a  settlement  of  difficulties.  Benjamin  Franklin,  John 
Adams,  and  Edward  Rutledge  were  the  committee  chosen. 
Several  letters  were  exchanged  between  Howe  and  Franklin 
in  relation  to  a  place  of  meeting,  which  was  fixed  finally  at 
the  "  old  Billopp  house."  It  was  then  a  two-days'  journey 
from  Philadelphia  to  Perth  Amboy.  The  committee 
started,  John  Adams  on  horseback  and  Dr.  Franklin  and 
Mr.  Rutledge  in  old-fashioned  chairs.  When  they  reached 
Perth  Amboy  Lord  Howe's  barge  was  there  to  ferry  them 
across.  He  shook  hands  warmly  with  Franklin  when  he 
landed  at  Staten  Island,  and  greeted  the  others  cordially 
when  Franklin  introduced  them.  They  all  moved  towards 
the  house  between  lines  of  soldiery.  One  of  the  largest 
rooms  of  the  Billopp  mansion  had  been  converted,  with 
moss,  vines,  and  branches,  into  a  delightful  bower,  and  there 
a  collation  of  "  good  claret,  good  bread,  cold  ham,  tongues, 
and  mutton  "  was  immediately  served.  After  this  Lord 
Howe  opened  the  conference.     He  expressed  his  attach- 


Letter  from  Rhode  Island, 


205 


rumored,  was  empowered  to  make  overtures  of  peace. 
There  were,  besides,  ten  transports  with  the  1260 
Anspach  troops  on  board. 

On  the  13th,  a  servant  of  an  Anspach  officer,  having 
stolen  a  shirt  from  his  master,  and  being  afraid  of 
punishment,  jumped  overboard.  He  was  pulled  out 
of  the  water  dead. 

On  the  26th  one  of  the  wives  of  our  chasseurs  was 
confined.* 

On  the  2d  of  June  we  came  in  sight  of  land,  a  cir- 
cumstance that  caused  a  universal  shout  of  joy. 

On  the  3d,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  en- 
tered the  harbor  of  New  York,  and  cast  anchor  near 
the  city.  I  am  forced  to  admit,  judging  by  its  exterior 
appearance,  that  I  have  never  seen  such  a  beautiful 
country  as  that  which  greeted  our  eyes  on  entering 


ment  to  America  and  his  gratitude  for  the  honors  bestowed 
upon  his  elder  brother,  who  was  killed  at  Lake  George  in 
the  expedition  against  the  French,  eighteen  years  before, 
declaring  that  should  America  fall  he  should  feel  and  lament 
it  like  the  loss  of  a  brother.  Franklin  bowed,  and,  smiling 
blandly,  replied,  "  My  lord,  we  will  use  our  utmost  endeavors 
to  spare  you  that  mortification."  The  conversation  was 
conducted  as  among  friends  for  four  hours,  but  it  amounted 
to  nothing,  except  so  far  as  it  strengthened  the  patnots. 
The  party  separated  with  great  show  of  courtesy,  Howe 
saying,  •'  I  am  sorry,  gentlemen,  that  you  have  had  the 
trouble  of  coming  so  far  to  so  little  purpose." 

*  The  news  that  married  couples  were  among  the  German 
troops  in  America  is  always  useful  [i.e.,  as  a  matter  for  future 
reference]. — Note  by  Schlozer. 


^o6 


Letter  from  Rhode  Island. 


this  harbor,  where  on  the  left  was  New  Jersey  and  on 
the  right  New  York  Island. 

On  the  4th   Ensign and  I  went  into  the  city, 

and  reported  ourselves  to  General  Heister.  Now,  to 
our  great  gratification,  we,  for  the  first  time  in  many 
weeks,  encamped  on  land,  and  with  Auditor . 

On  the  5th  all  our  baggage  was  brought  from  the 
vessels,  and  the  regiments  were  quartered  in  an  old 
church.*'  We  also  were  obliged  to  spend  a  night  in 
it,  or  rather  among  the  tombstones,  as  we  were  unable 
to  find  another  place  for  our  equipage  or  any  other 
shelter  for  ourselves — if  a  night  in  a  graveyard  could 
be  called  by  that  term.  This  experience  gave  us  our 
first  conception  of  what  is  meant  by  war  in  America ! 

On  the  6th  our  recruits  were  drafted  into  the  differ- 
ent regiments  ;  and  we  finally  took  up  our  quarters  in 
the  house  of  a  rebel,  that  had  been  deserted  by  its 
owner. 

By  these  details,  my  dear  brother,  you  may  in  a 
faint  degree  judge  of  our  present  situation  ;  and  that 
it  is  not  now  as  it  was  in  the  last  war,  when  the  motto 
was,  "  Farmer,  work,  or  thou  wilt  receive  blows."  In 
fact,  let  me  tell  you  it  is  hard  to  live  here.  One  is 
never  sure  of  finding  what  he  needs,  and  even  should 
he  be  so  fortunate  as  to  stumble  across  it,  it  is  terri- 
bly dear.     In  all  my  life  I  never  heard  of  such  high 

*  The  old  Dutch  church  corner  of  Nassau  and  Cedar  Streets 
— afterward  used  as  the  Post-Office,  and  the  site  of  which  is 
now  (1891)  occupied  by  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany. 


Letter  from  Rhode  Island. 


207 


prices.  For  instance,  a  loaf  of  bread  (made  of  wheat, 
for  corn  is  rarely  raised  here)  and  which  at  home  costs 
one  albus*  costs  here  5  ;  one  pound  of  butter,  18  ; 
one  pound  of  meat  (mutton  or  beef),  10  ;  a  bottle  of 
poor  wine,  i  reichs-thaler ;  one  pound  of  snuff,  2 
reichs-thaler  and  8  silber-groschen  ;  a  pair  of  boots, 
20  gulden  ;  a  yard  of  indifferent  linen,  16  albus;  a  yard 
of  the  poorest  woollen  stuff,  i  reichs-thaler  and  16 
albus,  etc.,  etc. 

Now,  in  order  to  give  you  an  idea  of  America,  or, 
rather,  that  small  portion  which  we  still  hold,  I  may 
not  omit  to  say  that  it  is  really  a  beautiful,  lovely 
land,  and  quite  level.  New  York,  especially,  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  and  pleasantest  seaports  I  have 
ever  seen  ;  although  that  part  of  the  city  which  lies 
nearest  the  sea  has  been  recently  burned.  The  houses, 
which  are  in  the  English  style,  regular  and  well  built, 
are  not  only  of  a  palatial  character,  but  are  most 
elegantly  furnished  and  papered  inside.  It  is  there- 
fore a  pity  that  this  country,  which,  by  the  way,  is 
exceedingly  fertile,  should  be  inhabited  by  such  brutish 
people — people  who  have  been  brought  into  their 
present  position  by  sheer  luxury  and  extravagance, 
and  who  owe  their  downfall  solely  to  their  own 
haughtiness.  Any  one  who  is  disposed  to  take  their 
part,  and  to  believe  that  they  have  sufficient  cause  to 
rebel,  should  for  a  time  as  a  punishment  live  among 
them    and  become  acquainted  with    their   condition. 


*  An  albu&  is  a  little  less  than  a  groschen. 


208 


Letter  from  Rhode  Island, 


Here  a  man,  even  of  the  meanest  station,  provided 
he  will  only  do  something,  can  live  as  well  as  the 
richest.  Such  a  visitor  would  soon  talk  in  a  differ, 
ent  strain,  and  would  see,  as  I  do,  that  it  is  not  want, 
but  frivolity  and  extravagance,  that  is  the  cause  of 
this  rebellion.  Although  the  greater  portion  of  the 
people  are  descended  from  wandering  ragamuffins 
ousted  from  other  places,  yet  they  are  so  haughty  here, 
and  put  on  such  airs,  especially  in  New  York,  that 
their  like  cannot  be  found  in  the  entire  world.  For 
example,  the  women — who,  by  the  way,  are  nearly  all 
good-looking,  no  matter  whether  they  are  the  wives 
of  shoemakers,  tailors,  day-laborers  (of  these  there 
are  very  few,  since  nearly  every  one  has  a  few  negro 
slaves  in  his  service) — are  dressed  in  calico,  muslin, 
and  silk  robes.  This  extravagance  in  dress,  which 
daily  increases,  is  caused  by  the  inhabitants  constantly 
taking  in  such  large  amounts  of  money  from  the  troops ; 
for  no  one  would  dream  of  taking  a  single  grain  of 
salt  from  them  unless  they  paid  them  for  it. 

There  is  likewise  nothing  more  vexatious  than  the 
fact  that  by  an  express  order  of  the  king  the  soldiers 
are  obliged  to  treat  this  people,  who  are  in  reality 
all  rebels,  with  the  greatest  courtesy — jO  much  so, 
that  not  a  grain  of  salt  may  be  taken  from  them 
without  compensation.  The  poor  soldiers,  accordingly, 
woul'i  die  of  starvation  if  the  ship  provisions  were  not 
furnished  to  them  for  3  pence  per  diem  (28  kellers), 
viz.,  one  pound  of  zwieback  [toasted  bread  or  biscuit], 
salted  but  almost  uneatable'pork,Ja''fewjmusty[peas, 


i.  I 


%■■ 


I: 


Letter  J rom  Rhode  Island. 


209 


of 


some  oatmeal,  and  a  little  rum.  With  this  diet  they 
are  forced  to  support  life,  although  a  good  many  are 
made  sick  by  it. 

On  the  14th  June,  we  (the  recruits)  embarked  on  a 
vessel  bound  for  Rhode-Island,  where  one  English 
and  four  German  regiments  are  at  present  stationed. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  we  set  sail,  and  passed 
on  that  day  a  place  called  Hell-gate — a  spot  fraught 
with  the  utmost  danger  to  life  and  navigation. 

On  the  1 8th,  we  anchored  off  Newport-Island;  on 
the  19th,  I  went  to  the  town  of  Newport,  the  capital 
of  Rhode-Island,  and  in  great  haste  visit..d  my  sick 
brother;  and  on  the  21st,  we  went  into  camp,  which 
is  four  hours*  distant  from  the  city,  at  the  end  of  the 
island,  and  directly  opposite  the  rebels.  This  island 
is  only  four  hours  long  by  two  broad,  and  is  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  the  rebels,  from  whom  it  is 
only  separated  by  a  river  three  times  as  wide  as  the 
Werra.  On  this  account,  and  also  because  they  can 
fire  shot  almost  into  our  camp,  we  are  kept  in  a  con- 
tinual state  of  alarm.  Again,  as  lit  le  or  nothing  is 
raised  on  the  island  in  the  way  of  vegetables — the  in- 
habitants living  chiefly  on  cattle — the  outlook  for  us 
in  the  way  of  fresh  provisions  is  very  poor,  especially 
as  the  rebels  have  taken  with  them  all  their  live-stock» 
Meat  costs  here  12  albus  a  pound,  while  for  a  small 
mess  of  green  peas  (which  will  barely  satisfy  one 
person)  we  pay  7  silver  groschen. 

*  In  German  the  word  "  hour  "  is  often  used  as  a  measure 
of  distance,  and  signifies  one  league,  i.e.,  five  miles. 


210 


Letter  from  Rhode  Island, 


On  the  23d  of  June  (for  having  no  tent  I  could 
not  stay  in  the  camp)  I  took  up  my  quarters  in  a  farm- 
house a  quarter  of  an  hour  distant  from  the  camp 
and  near  the  water,  in  full  range  of  the  enemy's  guns. 
The  owner  of  the  farm-house  allowed  me  to  occupy  it 
more  from  fear  that  it  might  otherwise  be  taken  pos- 
session of  by  English  officers  than  through  any  cour- 
tesy to  me.  The  farmer's  name  is  Thomas  Volkner, 
and  his  religion  is  that  of  a  Baptist — a  sect  which  is 
so  numerous  hereabout  that  its  members  cannot  be 
counted.  This  sect  does  not  have  its  children  bap- 
tized. The  greater  portion  of  the  inhabitants  who  are 
still  here,  however,  are  Quakers,  who  have  neither  the 
rite  of  baptism  nor  a  minister.  They  accordingly  go 
into  a  church  and  there  wait  for  the  Holy-Spirit  to 
come  and  tell  them  what  they  shall  say.  If  the  Holy- 
Spirit  fails  to  move  them,  which,  by  the  way,  happens 
very  often,  they  silently  return  home,  for  they  never 
sing. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  two  English  officers  made 
their  appearance  and  proposed  to  occupy  my  room. 
As  I  was  the  prior  occupant,  however,  they  were  un- 
able either  by  threats  or  persuasions  to  accomplish 
their  object,  especially  as  I  showed  them  the  door  with 
my  drawn  sword. 

As  regards  the  domestic  products,  they  are  the  same 
as  with  us,  the  climate  being  similar  except  that  it  is 
much  warmer.  The  garden  vegetables  are  also  ex- 
actly like  ours,  only  the  species  are  fewer  in  number. 
The  trees,  however,  are  somewhat  different, — sassafras. 


Letter  from  Rhode  Island. 


211 


cracknut,  etc.,  which  I  have  never  before  seen,  being 
quite  abundant. 

As  to  animals,  especially  domestic  ones,  which  I 
have  more  particularly  observed,  I  find  no  difference, 
except  that  the  horses  are  smaller  and  lighter,  and  are 
therefore  fleeter  and  quicker  in  their  movements.  On 
the  contrary,  oxen  and  cows  are  nearly  twice  as  heavy, 
and  proportionately  larger.  Birds,  excepting  swal- 
lows, are  different  from  ours,  and  twice  as  beautiful. 
There  are  neither  sparrows  nor  moles  in  this  place. 
With  this  I  bring  my  letter  to  a  close. 

P.  S. — In  case  any  one  should  ask  the  reason  why  I 
have  said  nothing  regarding  the  progress  of  the  war, 
you  can  answer  him  that  it  is  because  I  know  no  more 
about  it  now  than  I  did  when  I  left  Germany,  except 
those  small  skirmishes  which  signify  little.  So  far  as 
we  know,  nothing  of  consequence  has  taken  place, 
except  that  the  frigate  Unicorn  to-day  brought  in  two 
rebel  ships. 


LETTER  FROM  A  FIELD-CHAPLAIN. 


New  York  Island,  Dec.  7,  1777. 

The  news  of  the  capture  of  the  two  forts  on  Mud 
and  Red-Bank  in  Delaware  is  no  doubt  known  to  you 
by  this  time,  also  the  friendly  reception  of  Burgoyne's 
army.  Howe's  and  Washington's  armies  are  stationed 
opposite  each  other  at  Philadelphia,  the  army  of  the 
latter  having  received  considerable  reinforcements. 

It  was  here  (New  York)  that  several  hundred  peo- 
ple recently  took  an  oath  to  fire  the  city  and  roast  us, 
bag  and  baggage.  Quite  a  large  body  of  rebels  were 
invited  to  cross  the  North  River  and  look  at  the  fun 
and  see  the  roasting  !  The  kind  Being  who  watches 
over  the  German  and  English  armies,  however,  or- 
dained it  otherwise.  He  caused  the  secret  plan  to  be 
unmasked,  and  without  doubt  the  governor  or  his  rep- 
resentative will  be  hung. 

If  the  rebels  keep  their  word,  we  may  expect  more 
visits  from  them,  either  here  or  in  the  vicinity.  The 
two  Anspach  regiments  are  now  in  Philadelphia. 
They   were,  as    I    surmise  from    reading   yesterday's 


212 


Letter  from  a  Field-chaplain, 


213 


paper,  upon  a  cattle-hunting  expedition  under  the 
command  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  Four  thousand  men 
brought  800  head  into  Philadelphia.  Without  doubt 
our  esteemed  field-chaplain  will  also  have  his  share  of 
the  sheep,  and  I  am  the  same  as  in  Europe,  etc. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY 
AROUND    PHILADELPHIA 

IN   1778. 

[letter  from  captain  h.,  received  in  gottingen 

APRIL    7TH.] 

At  Philadelphia  on  the  Neck,  Jan.  18,  1778. 
Your  dear  letter  of  the  25th  of  May,  addressed  to 
*  Lieutenant    H.  in   New  York,   or  Captain  H.   in 
Philadelphia,"  reached  me  on  the  4th  of  November. 

My  present  ideas  of  America  have  greatly  changed 
from  those  that  I  expressed  in  my  last  letters.  At 
the  present  time  I  can  form  no  mental  picture  of  an 
earthly  paradise  without  including  in  it  the  Jerseys 
and  Long  Island :  not  so,  however,  with  Pennsylvania. 
If  the  Hon.  Count  Penn  were  to  oflfer  me  the  whole 
county  of  Pennsylvania,  with  the  condition  that  I 
should  live  here  the  rest  of  my  life,  I  hardly  think  I 
should  accept  it.  And  this  is  the  land  of  promise — the 
land  where  milk  and  honey  flows,  and  which  so  many 
have  praised  to  us !     You  are  doubtless  aware  that  as 

each  North  American   province  has   hitherto   main- 

214 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


215 


tained  a  separate  existence  and  been  governed  by  laws 
of  its  own,  it  must  be  judged  separately.  The  packet- 
boat  will  start  to-morrow  :  so  now  for  a  few  hasty  de- 
scriptions of  the  country  and  its  climate. 

Among  one  hundred  people,  not  only  in  Philadel- 
phia but  in  the  entire  vicinity,  you  will  not  find  one 
with  a  healthy  color.  This  is  caused  by  the  unwhole- 
some air  and  the  bad  water.  In  one  way  this  cannot 
be  ascribed  to  the  zone  in  which  it  lies,  for  Pennsyl- 
vania is  in  one  of  the  healthiest :  rather  is  it  to  be 
attributed  to  the  forests,  morasses,  and  mountains, 
which  partly  prevent  the  atmosphere  from  expanding 
and  in  a  measure  poison  the  air,  thus  producing  an 
unhealthy  climate.  Nothing  is  more  common  than  to 
have  a  fever  once  a  year,  eruptions  like  the  itch,  etc. 
Nor  have  I  met  anywhere  with  more  crazy  people 
than  in  this  town.  Only  yesterday,  while  dining  with 
a  gentleman,  a  third  person  came  into  the  room  and 
whispered  in  my  ear,  "Take  care  :  this  gentleman  is  a 
madman  !"  The  truth  is,  however,  that  nearly  all  of  the 
people  are  quietly  mad — a  sort  of  mental  aberration 
caused  by  a  compression  rather  than  a  heating  of  the 
blood.  Very  often  the  people  are  cured.  One  of 
the  reasons  for  this  extraordinary  state  of  things  is 
that  none  of  the  necessaries  of  life  possesses  the  same 
nutritious  properties  as  our  own.  The  milk,  for 
example,  is  not  half  as  rich,  and  the  bread  contains 
but  little  nourishment.  The  difference  between  the 
quality  of  the  food  brought  from  Jersey  and  that  from 


2l6 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


Pennsylvania  to  the  market  in   Philadelphia  is  very 
noticeable. 

The  cold  in  winter  and  the  heat  in  summer  are  quite 
moderate,  but  the  thunder-storms  in  summer  and  the 
moist  ill-smelling  air  in  the  spring  and  autumn  are  un- 
bearable. Should  a  heavy  mist  arise  on  a  summer's 
morning,  saturating  everything  with  moisture,  you 
may  be  SL/e  of  having  a  thunder-storm  in  the  after- 
noon. If  on  a  winter's  morning  you  find  the  trees 
covered  with  frost,  it  will  rain  in  the  afternoon.  Such 
phenomena,  which  are  of  daily  occurrence,  are  only  to 
be  met  with  in  this  country. 

As  it  is  with  vegetables  here,  which  attain  only  half 
their  growth,  so  it  is  with  animals, — rabbits,  partridges, 
peacocks,  etc.,  being  but  half-grown  ;  while  the  meat 
of  wild-game  tastes  like  the  flesh  of  domestic  fowls. 

One  of  the  few  good  results  of  the  war  is  the  exter- 
mination of  the  forests,!  by  which  the  air  has  become 
purer.  One  man  named  Hamilton,  a  resident  of  this 
city,  cut  down  the  ""Tpes  on  1500  acres  of  land  for  the 
use  of  the  hospital,  and  he  had  the  patriotism  not  long 
since  to  make  the  remark  in  company,  that  "  it  was  a 
very  good  thing  for  the  land  !"  The  fertility  of  the 
soil  is  such  that  two  crops  can  be  sowed  and  harvested 
yearly,  but  the  fruit  is  not  as  good  as  with  us.  The 
greater  part  of  America  is  rich  in  minerals,  especially 
the  strip  in  which  we  manoeuvred  last  summer,  viz., 
on  the  Elk  River,  Brandywine  Cuik  [Creek],  Valley 
Hills,  and  the  Schuylkill.  There  are  plenty  of  trees. 
For    instance,   there     are    seven    varieties   of   pine. 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


217 


without  counting  those  belonging  to  the  same 
species,  viz.,  sassafras,  cedars,  and  nut-trees,  which,  by 
the  way,  are  what  we  generally  burn  on  our  hearths 
and  camp-fires.  The  land,  moreover,  produces  corn, 
wheat,  oats,  flax,  hemp,  Indian-corn,  and  potatoes — 
which,  however,  are  not  as  good  as  those  grown  in 
Holland,  although  this  is  their  mother-country.  They 
also  raise  beets  and  garden  vegetables  of  all  kinds, 
but  these  do  not  attain  the  same  size  as  ours.  The 
fruits  likewise  are  different.  The  grape  carmot  be- 
come thoroughly  ripe  on  account  of  the  mist  I  have 
before  mentioned.  Pears  are  scarce,  and  the  apples 
lack  flavor. 

You  have  doubtless  read  in  the  newspapers  about 
the  stockades  which  cut  up  the  land  into  so  many  sec- 
tions that  it  is  simply  impossible  for  cavalry  to  ma» 
nceuvre  on  the  plains.  These  defences,  which  are 
wooden  palisades  encircling  acres  of  land,  are  put  up 
as  a  protection  against  the  cattle  ;  for  every  one  turns 
his  cattle  (horses,  sheep,  cows,  etc.)  loose,  without 
herders.  After  an  acre  has  yielded  its  crops  the 
farmer  drives  his  cattle  upon  it, — alternating  from  one 
acre  to  another, — and  hence  each  acre  has  its  own 
palisades.  However,  an  old  German  farmer  living  two 
miles  from  Philadelphia  assured  me  that  the  one  and 
a  half  feet  of  ground  that  would  be  lost  by  digging 
trenches  and  planting  hedges  would  cost  him  more. 
Another  reason  why  hedges  are  not  planted  is  that 
they  will  not  grow.  The  thornbush  cannot  be  raised 
on  account  of  an  insect  the  name  of  which  I  have 


2l8 


L  etter  from  Ph  iladelph  ia. 


i         ' 


forgotten  ;  while  the  willow  will  not  flourish  every- 
where. At  Hollander's  Cuik  I  saw  a  newly  planted 
grove  of  that  tree. 

Pigs  are  as  fine  in  these  parts  as  the  best  Holsteins, 
for  the  woods  contain  the  best  of  mast,  upon  which 
those  animals  feed  the  entire  year.  Guinea-hens  are 
abundant,  though  not  as  numerous  as  in  the  Jerseys 
and  Long-Island.  The  Welsh-hen  is  classified  as  a 
wild  bird,  and  can  be  found  in  the  woods  in  flocks,  like 
partridges.  Sheep  are  plenty ;  but  as  the  farmer  drives 
them  into  the  forest  he  ruins  their  wool.  Notwith- 
standing this,  however,  he  sells  the  skins  for  i8  shil- 
lings in  York  money.  Ducks  and  geese  are  the  same 
and  as  good  as  with  us,  but  no  better.  You  cannot 
imagine  the  immense  swarms  of  flies  that  are  to  be 
met  with  in  this  part  of  the  world.  Rabbits,  black 
grouse,  and  partridges  are  only  half  as  large  as  at  home  ; 
while  bears  and  wolves  may  still  be  met  with  in  Tol- 
pahaky,*  36  miles  from  Philadelphia,  to  which  city 
those  animals  are  often  brought.  A  joint  of  bear's 
meat  is  a  great  delicacy. 

There  are  also  plenty  of  snakes.     The  large  black 

*Mr.  J.  G.  Rf  engarten,  Jr.,  Dr.  Charles  O.  Abbott,  and 
Professor  O.  Seidensticker,  of  Philadelphia,  courteously  in- 
form me  that  the  writer  evidently  refers  to  Tulpehocken^  in 
Berks  County,  Pa., — a  name  signifying  "  the  place  of  the 
turtle," — although  the  distance  is  given  incorrectly,  as  it  is 
much  further.  Bears  are  even  now  found  within  36  miles  of 
Philadelphia,  on  the  west,  north,  and  east,  and  in  Southern 
New  Jersey,  and  fifty  years  ago  they  were  plentiful. 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


219 


ack 


and 


snake  is  yet  found  along  the  Schuylkill,  as  well  as  near 
our  quarters.  Only  recently  a  farmer  while  chopping 
wood  was  chased  by  one  of  them,  but  a  neighbor 
killed  it  with  a  club.  Nothing,  however,  can  be  niore 
terrible  than  the  rattlesnake.  Its  length  is  from  12 
to  16  feet ;  and  its  glance,  the  people  living  here  be- 
lieve, is  capable  of  killing  a  person.  Several  years  ago 
a  farmer  living  in  my  neighborhood  lost  a  relative  in 
this  manner.  He  had  been  hunting,  and  seeing  a 
bear  standing  motionless  before  him,  he  took  aim  and 
laid  him  low.  But  scarcely  had  he  reached  the  bear 
when  he  himself  seemed  transfixed,  and  then  fell 
over  dead.  All  this  was  caused  by  a  rattlesnake  that 
lay  coiled  up  in  a  high  tree.  None  are  to  be  found 
nearer  Philadelphia  than  Tolpahaky  ;  though  between 
Elk-Ferry  and  the  head  of  the  Elk,  where  we  were 
quartered  for  three  days,  there  were  some.  So  much 
about  the  country.  In  my  next  letter  I  will  giv^e  you 
the  characteristics  of  the  people,  their  culture,  etc. 

That  the  domestic  animals  are  not  as  good  as  with 
us  at  home,  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  habit  the 
people  have  here  of  allowing  them  to  roam  at  large 
during  the  winter  and  summer. 

Recently  I  wrote  you  that  no  white  glass  was  manu- 
factured in  America.  In  Manheim  (Pennsylvania), 
however,  a  factory  was  started  two  years  before  the  war. 
This  factory,  in  common  with  the  porcelain  factories, 
— in  facL>  all  the  arts  and  industries, — seem  to  be  pros- 
trated, and  all  on  account  of  the  high  wages. 

Do  you  wish  to  know  where  I  am  living?     If  so, 


2  20 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


take  a  translation  of  "  Barnaby's  Travels,"*  open  it  at 
page  90,  and  read  :  '•  from  here  the  road  leading  to  the 
city  was  lined  with  country-seats,  pleasure-gardens, 
and  orchards  in  full  bloom."  Among  these  "  country- 
seats,  pleasure-gardens,  and  orchards"  the  highly- 
praised  rifle  corps  have  their  quarters  ;  and  here,  upon 
the  Schuylkill,  midst  the  scenes  that  Barnaby  de- 
scribes, I  intend  to  do  picket  duty  to-morrow.  It 
seems  to  me  that  this  sketch  is  plainer  than  that  drawn 
by  many  an  engineer. 


*  Andrew  Barnaby,  an  English  divine,  born  1732  at  Ash- 
fordby,  Leicestershire  ;  died  March  9,  181 2.  He  came  to 
America  soon  after  1757,  and,  in  1776,  published  "Travels 
through  the  Middle  Settlements  of  North  America,  in  1759- 
60."  In  1786  he  was  preferred  to  the  Archdeanery  of 
Leicester.  He  also  wrote  a  volume  of  sermons,  and  a 
"  Journal  of  a  Tour  to  Corsica  in  1766." 


LETTER  FROM  PHILADELPHIA. 


Philadelphia,  May  7,  1778. 

Excuse  me  for  writing  so  briefly  at  this  time.  It  is 
very  warm  to-day,  and  to-morrow  our  gracious  friend 
sets  sail 

You  can,  however,  obtain  further  details  of  our 
present  situation  from  the  enclosed.*  So  far  as  can 
be  seen,  things  are  about  in  the  same  condition  as  when 
I  last  wrote.  We  are  quietly  sitting  here  and  await- 
ing events. 

Meanwhile,  the  lovely  summer  is  approaching,  which 
will  have  the  effect,  perhaps,  of  making  it  pretty  hot 
for  both  armies.  Hov/  you  will  be  pleased  with  the 
exquisite  German  in  the  State  Courier !  Our  oved 
mother-tongue  is  completely  Anglicized  in  this  colony, 
and  will  soon  be  transformed  into  what  may  be  called 
"  the  Pennsylvania  language,"  which  will  be  unrecog- 
nizable by  either  Germans  or  English. 

*  This  was  a  copy  of  a  Philadelphia  newspaper  for  Wed- 
nesday, the  6th  May,  1778,  called  The  \  Pennsylvania  State 
Courier  \  of  current  \  Weekly  News.  \  Published  by  Christo- 
pher Saur,  Jr.,  and  Peter  Saur,  in  Second  st.,  Philadelphia. 
It  contains  accounts  of  many  atrocious  incidents  then  hap- 
pening, which  are  not  here  given,  as  the  file  can  be  referred  to. 

22Z 


222 


Letter  from  Philai^elphia. 


Up  to  the  present  time  my  experience  here  makes 
me  well  contented.  My  landlord  is  an  arch  rebel,  an 
apothecary,  and  a  native  of  Nuremburg.  He  swears 
that  I  will  have  to  stay  in  Philadelphia,  and  demon- 
strates to  a  hair's-breadth  that  the  king  is  a  tyrant. 
The  city  is  beautiful,  the  country  agreeable,  and  the 
inhabitants  are  good  fellows  for  your  money. 

We  hear  that  Mr.  [General]  Putnam  was  lately  tried 
before  a  court-martial  and  honorably  acquitted  of  all 
charges  brought  against  him.  The  principal  one  was 
leniency  towards  prisoners — a  sentiment  he  seems  to 
have  imbibed  years  ago,  when  he  had  the  honor  to 
serve  his  Majesty  for  several  years  in  the  late  [French 
and  Indian]  war. 

From  Chester  we  have  received  the  following  news, 
which  it  is  believed  is  true.  At  the  beginning  of  this 
week  two  men  had  caught  a  good  iness  of  fish  and 
were  dividing  them  in  a  ware-house  near  the  water 
front,  when  two  horsemen  rode  up  and  inquired  of  a 
woman  living  near  by  what  they  were  doing  ?  While 
the  woman  was  still  talking  with  them,  one  of  the  men 
had  put  his  share  of  the  fish  into  a  cart  and  was  driv- 
ing away,  when  one  of  these  heroes  rode  up  to  him  and 
asked  where  he  was  going  with  the  fish  ?  The  answer 
was,  "  Home."  Whereupon,  the  rider  rode  up  to  the 
man  and  without  any  hesitation  shot  him  dead  on  the 
spot ;  and  so  close  was  he  to  the  poor  fellow,  that  the 
flash  from  the  pan  of  his  pistol  set  his  coat  on  fire. 
Meanwhile  his  companion  rode  up  to  the  ware-house 
where  the  other  unfortunate  fisherman  had  remained 


Letter  from  Philacielphia. 


223 


with  his  fishes,  and  cursing  him  for  a  Tory,  shot  him 
down  also,  although  surrounded  by  a  number  of 
children. 

We  have  also  received  verified  news  from  Whit- 
paine  Township,  Philadelphia  County,  that  a  certain 
preacher  of  the  Reformed  Church,  named  Wickel,  who 
had  formerly  held  forth  in  Bohemian  and  Wenzen* 
churches,  has  recently  given  up  preaching  and  turned 
street  foot-pad.  As  a  preacher  he  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  wickedly  reviling  the  king  and  his  govern- 
ment, and  had  likewise  exhorted  his  hearers  to  re- 
main steadfast  to  the  rebellion  and  to  turn  street 
robbers.  (His  recompense,  no  doubt,  will  be  great.) 
Whether  his  congregation  did  not  obey  him  in  every- 
thing, whether  he  became  jealous  that  others  became 
rich  by  following  his  exhortations  while  he  remained 
poor,  or  whether  he  desired  to  learn  and  do  both  things 
himself,  is  not  known.  Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  this 
"  buck"  waylays  people  on  the  roads  to  and  from  the 
city,  and  relieves  them  of  their  valuables.  Take  care 
of  yourself,  and  believe  me,  etc. 


*  The  Wenzens,  who  are  descendants  from  the  Sclave  tribe 
of  Wendts,  are  a  sect  near  Berlin,  which  for  several  hundred 
years  have  preserved  their  own  peculiar  forms  of  worship,  cus- 
toms, habits,  costumes,  etc.,  unchanged.  They  are  Lutherans 
in  religion.  Their  dress — especially  that  of  the  women — is 
exceedingly  picturesque.  It  consists  of  short  petticoats  of 
various  brilliant  colors,  and  a  white  cap  with  large  flaps 
standing  out  like  wings  on  either  side.  Thej'  never  marry 
out  of  their  own  sect. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PHILADELPHIA, 
ITS  PEOPLE,  ETC. 


[from  captain  h.] 

On  the  Neck  at  Philadelphia,  June  2,  1778. 

Several  weeks  ago,  the  army  being  ordered  to  put 
on  board  the  ships  their  unnecessary  baggage,  I  sent, 
among  other  articles,  uM  my  books,  journals,  charts, 
sketches,  and  note-books.  For  this  reason  you  will 
not  in  this  letter  receive  anything  from  me  in  relation 
to  my  winter  campaign. 

Philadelphia  is,  in  its  way,  a  very  pretty  city. 
Ninety-four  years  ago  not  a  house  was  to  be  seen,  and 
now  there  are  between  twenty-five  hundred  to  three 
thousand.  Indeed  the  fire-insurance  companies  have 
policies  on  1993.  This  will  give  you  an  idea  of  the 
growth  of  the  place.  The  rectangular  streets  and  the 
sameness  of  the  houses — which,  as  a  rule,  are  but  two 
stories  high,  though  a  few  are  three  stories — present  a 
laughable  appearance.  After  we  had  had  possession 
of  the  city  for  four  weeks,  and  when  the  vessels  arrived 
from  New  York,  everything  put  on  such  a  bustling  air, 

that,  as  the  inhabitants  said,  one  would  not  have  known 

224 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


225 


the 
the 
two 
nt  a 
jion 
ved 


the  city  in  time  of  peace.  Two  out  of  every  three 
houses  contain  shops  (not  shops  like  those  in  Ham- 
burg), but  similar  to  those  of  G — sche.  A  broad  stone 
placed  at  the  side  [front]  of  the  houses  makes  walking 
very  comfortable  ;  and  I  must  acknowledge  that  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  streets  is  better  than  in  Gottingen, 
The  gutters  do  not  empty  directly  upon  the  stones ; 
consequently,  in  rainy  weather,  when  you  need  these 
stones  the  most,  you  are  not  compelled  to  leave  the 
sidewalks  and  wade  about  in  the  middle  of  the  street. 
In  the  summer  almost  every  householder  stretches  a 
piece  of  canvas  across  two  upright  poles  placed  on  the 
street,  and  thus  you  are  enabled  to  walk  in  the  shade. 

The  merchant,  or  rather  the  shopkeeper,  whose 
trade  formerly  was  confined  within  narrow  limits,  is  a 
laughable  creature.  He  can  only  be  compared  with 
the  librarian  of  a  circulating  library.  For  instance, 
should  certain  wares  be  in  fashion  and  have  a  great 
sale  in  England,  he  will  push  them  in  Philadelphia, 
although  he  may  know  nothing  about  them  !  Re- 
cently, while  walking  in  Second  Street,  I  ran  across  a 
tobacco-dealer  who  had  painted  on  a  swinging-sign  a 
German  and  English  inscription.  The  English  one 
read  as  follows  :  "  Tobacco  sold  here  as  good  as  the 
best  imported  ;"  while  the  German  one  read:  "  Tobacco 
sold  here  as  good  as  the  best  of  English." 

Mechanics  and  artisans  are  very  scarce.  The  ablest 
mechanics  are  hatters,  shoemakers,  and  tailors.  Of 
artisans,  the  best,  and  I  may  say  the  only  ones,  are  sad- 
dlers and  goldsmiths.     Workers  in  ivory,  steel,  iron, 


226 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


stucco-work,  bone,  embroidery,  silk,  gold  and  silver 
ware  are  entirely  unknown.  All  of  those  articles  are 
sent  on  here  by  the  English  ;  and,  in  fact,  whatever 
they  choose  to  send  is  most  welcome. 

In  connection  with  all  of  this  I  may  mention  the 
unbearable  self-conceit  of  the  Americans,  and  espe- 
cially the  Philadelphians,  who  imagine  that  no  country 
is  more  beautiful,  fortunate,  rich,  or  prosperous  than 
their  own  ;  and  this,  too,  although  it  is  still  in  its  in- 
fancy. The  reason  for  this  scarcity  of  mechanics  and 
artisans  is  easily  given.  Wages  are  so  high  that  goods 
cannot  be  sold  at  a  price  sufficiently  remunerative  to 
get  back  the  outlay  of  money  for  work  performed.  A 
man,  for  instance,  importing  goods  from  England  can 
therefore  sell  more  cheaply  than  a  merchant  here  man- 
ufacturing his  own  goods.  Why  workmen's  wages  are 
so  high  can  also  be  explained.  Journeymen  are  diffi- 
cult to  be  obtained  simply  because  they  can  make  a 
more  agreeable  ^xA  easy  living  by  folk  v/ing  agricul  ure. 
If  a  man  works  three  hours  a  day  at  the  latter  occupa- 
tion, he  has  twenty-one  hours  remaining  in  which  he 
can  sleep,  yawn,  breakfast,  promenade,  gossip,  etc. 
He  cannot,  however,  lead  this  blissful  life  in  the  work- 
shop.*    You  can  therefore  judge  for  yourself  what 


*  Compare  the  above  with  Genovesi  Burgerl.,  CEknonomic, 
p.  139,  chapter  15.  This  explanation  seems  to  make  clear 
why  among  the  ancient  Hebrews,  where  agriculture  was  in 
a  most  flourishing  state,  the  fine-arts  did  not  seem  to  pros- 
per.    Every  Pennsylvanian  can  easily  become  a  farmer  or  a 


Letter  from  Philadelphia. 


\  \ 


227 


the  future  of  American  culture  will  be.  As  long  as 
there  is  enough  land  to  be  had  the  peasant  will  not  be- 
come an  artisan.* 

landed  proprietor;  and  every  Hebrew  was  obliged  to  be  one 
according  to  the  Mosaic  laws. — Note  by  Schlozer. 

*  In  this  respect,  times  seem  to  be  greatly  changed. 
Now  our  farms  are  nearly  deserted,  and  large  portions  of 
the  land  untilled,  because  farmers'  son.^  rush  to  the  cities  for 
employment,  no  matter  of  what  kind,  so  long  a^  they  can  be 
residents  of  a  city — seemingly  the  height  of  their  ambition. 


1:  ■■' 


LETTER  FROM  RHODE  ISLAND. 

Newport,  Rhode  Island,  Sept.  8,  1778. 
We  are  now  in  an  extremely  deplorable,  and,  in  fact, 
a  very  dubious  situation  ;  and  at  present  our  only 
pleasure  consists  in  receiving  news  from  home.  Since 
the  29th  of  July,  on  which  day  the  French  fleet  ap- 
peared off  the  harbor  and  landed  25,000  rebels  on  the 
island,  we  have  been  in  a  most  desperate  state  of  mind. 
We  supposed  as  a  matter  of  course  that  we  should  be 
taken  prisoners  ;  and  although,  thank  God,  we  have 
been  spared  that  misfortune,  our  prospects  in  regard 
to  fresh  vegetables  and  meat  are  very  uncertain.  We 
need  not  expect  any  fresh  food  whatever  for  at  least 
fourteen  days ;  and  meanwhile  we  will  have  to  exist  on 
dried  peas,  rice,  and  salt  provisions.  We  wish  most 
heartily  that  we  could  leave  this  island  and  again 
see  Germany.  In  the  last  engagement  we  lost  in 
Hessians  105  men  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.* 

*  The  engagement  here  referred  to  was  the  action  of 
Quaker  and  Turkey-Hill,  which  occurred  on  the  29th  of 
August,  1778.  An  attempt  by  the  British  to  gain  the  rear  of 
the  Americans  and  cut  off  their  retreat  brought  on  a  gen- 
eral action,  in  which  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  of  the 

228 


Letter  fro7n  Rhode  Island. 


229 


latter  were  engaged.  The  British  line  "  was  finally  broken, 
after  a  severe  engagement,  in  attempts  to  take  the  redoubt 
on  the  American  right  ;  and  they  were  driven  back  in  great 
confusion  to  Turkey-Hill,  leaving  many  of  their  dead  and 
wounded  on  the  field."  The  American  loss  was  thirty  killed 
and  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  wounded,  and  forty-four 
missing.  The  British  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  two  hun- 
dred and  ten,  with  twelve  missing.  According  to  the  above 
writer,  therefore,  exactly  half  of  this  loss  was  borne  by  the 
Hessians.  "  Lossing's  Field-Book  of  the  Revolution"  con- 
tains an  excellent  picture  of  the  scene  of  this  engagement, 
from  a  print  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine. 


LETTER  FROM  SAVANNAH. 


Savannah  in  Georgia,  Jan.  i6,  1779. 

You  have,  I  suppose,  received  my  last  letter  from 
New  York.  In  it  I  announced  the  fact  that  I  had 
been  ordered  on  board,  together  with  those  who  had 
received  their  discharge  from  the  regiments  of  Von 
Wollwarth  and  Von  Wissenbach.  Now,  however,  I 
am  prepared  to  give  you  a  short  description  of  this 
route  of  ours,  or,  rather,  of  my  fourth  sea-voyage. 

Every  one  can  understand  that  it  is  quite  disagree- 
able to  go  promenading  upon  the  ocean — especially 
at  a  time  of  year  like  the  present.  On  the  6th  of 
November  we  embarked  ;  and  on  the  8th,  we  sailed 
from  New- York  for  Staten-Island.  Here  had  gathered 
the  fleet,  which  consisted  of  between  46  to  50  vessels. 
Among  them  were  a  war-ship  named  "  Phoenix,"  carry- 
ing 44  guns,  and  commanded  by  Commodore  Hyde 
Parker,  Jr.;  the  24-gun  frigate,  "  Fowey  ;"  the  "Vigi- 
lant," having  the  same  number  of  guns,  but  consisting  of 
i8-|and  24-pounders  ;  a  row-galley  {Ruder-Galere),  and 
other  variously  armed  sloops.  The  troops  were  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Campbell  of  the  71st 

230 


Letter  from  Sava7inah, 


231 


Scottish  Regiment  ;  and  the  entire  corps  consisted  of 
about  3500  men,  which  make  up  the  following  regi- 
ments, viz.,  the  above-mentioned  71st  Regiment,  of 
two  battalions  ;  Wollwarth  and  Wissenbach,  of  the  two 
battalions  of  Langry  ;  the  third  battalion  of  Skinner; 
and  the  New  York  Volunteers.  The  last-mentioned  is 
a  corps  only  recently  organized  in  America.  Woll- 
warth's  regiment  filled  three  vt  A>els,  viz.,  the  "Alicia," 
on  which  were  one  major,  three  lieutenants,  two  en- 
signs, one  regimental-quartermaster,  and  200  men, 
and  myself  ;  the  "  Union,"  and  the  "  Venus."  Wis- 
senbach's  filled  the  "  Nancy,"  "  Howtown,"  and  the 
"  Minerva." 

On  the  1 2th  November,  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
orders  regarding  the  signals  and  the  disembarking,  etc., 
had  been  distributed,  we  weighed  anchor,  and  about 
one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  got  under  way,  wind  and 
weather  being  good.  About  five  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon we  again  cast  anchor  at  Sandy  Hook,  near  the 
light-house.  While  riding  at  anchor  we  encountered 
on  the  13th,  a  strong  wind,  which  so  increased  in  vio- 
lence on  the  14th  and  15th,  and  caused  such  havoc 
among  the  fleet,  that  the  commander  was  obliged  on 
the  1 6th,  to  sail  back  again  to  Staten-Island  with  the 
entire  fleet.  A  number  of  vessels  lost  their  anchors; 
two  of  them  were  driven  out  to  sea ;  and  one  was 
dashed  to  pieces  on  the  shore.  The  ship  "  Howtown" 
lost  her  bowsprit,  through  colliding  with  another  ves- 
sel which  had  also  lost  her  fastenings  during  the  night, 
and  both  were  only  separated  with  much  difficulty. 


232 


Letter  from  Savannah. 


During  all  this  trouble  a  number  of  Scots  were  drowned. 
The  "  Alicia"  lost  only  her  anchor.  We  now  had  to 
ride  at  anchor  until  everything  had  been  put  to  rights. 
Wi ,^  ;enbach's  men  meanwhile  were  taken  from  the 
''  Howtown,"  and  put  on  board  the  ship  "  Friendship." 
The  "  Betsey,"  which  had  been  driven  ashore,  was 
again  got  afloat ;  but  as  she  was  damaged,  another 
vessel  took  her  place.  During  this  interval  Regi- 
mental Quartermaster  K and   myself  started  to 

sp^  nd  several  days  in  New  York,  astonishing  our 
friends  by  our  appearance,  as  they  believed  that  by 
this  time  we  were  fai  out  at  sea. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  everything  had  again 
been  made  "  ship-shape  ;"  and  on  the  same  day  the  frig- 
ate "  Roebuck"  and  a  large  East-Indiaman  with  four 
other  ships  joined  us.  On  the  "  Roebuck"  was  Lord 
Carlisle,  and  on  the  Indiaman,  William  Eden,  Esq., 
of  whom,  perhaps,  you  may  have  heard  something  in 
Gottingen.  Both  ar(f  royal  commissioners,  who  have 
been  sent  over  here  to  make  overtures  ^>f  peace. 
The  rebels,  however,  will  have  nothing  to  do  with 
them. 

To-day,  the  27th  November,  we  left  Sandy  Hook, 
where  we  arrived  last  evening:  Up  to  the  31st,  we 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  have  u  favorable  wind,  with 
only  occasional  rough  weather.  On  the  ist  of  Decem- 
ber we  had  beautiful  and  in  fact  extraordinarily  warm 
weather.  Towards  evening  a  very  fierce  wind  arose, 
since  which  time  we  have  had  such  violent  storms,  that 
especially  on  the  third  day  out,  one  could  neither  hear 


Letter  from  Savannah. 


233 


nor  see  anything  occurring  around  us.  It  was  indeed 
terrible.  We  could  fasten  nothing  securely ;  trunks 
and  portmanteaus  were  thrown  about  promiscuously ; 
while  each  moment  you  were  in  danger  of  being 
thrown  out  of  bed  and  dashed  against  the  floor.  For 
fourteen  days  we  were  unable  to  sleep,  nor  could  we 
during  that  time  either  eat  or  drink  anything  in  a  decent 
manner.  We  also  cut  many  comical  figures,  and  pre- 
sented, I  doubt  not,  many  ludicrous  postures,  before 
we  were  able  to  restore  our  equilibrium.  It  was  in- 
deed funny  !  With  one  arm  you  held  on  to  the  bed- 
stead, at  the  same  time  reeling  around  like  a  drunken 
man.  Meanwhile,  the  rain  continued  incessantly ; 
and,  as  we  drew  nearer  the  south,  the  weather  became 
so  unbearably  warm  that  we  were  obliged  to  open  all 
of  our  windows  [port-holes]  and  strip  ourselves  to  the 
skin.  The  sea  appeared  at  one  time  all  mountains 
and  at  another  all  valleys,  the  foam  giving  them  the 
appearance  of  being  constantly  covered  with  a  mantle 
of  snow ;  while  the  waves  seemed  to  fight  among 
themselves  as  to  which  should  be  the  first  to  dash 
against  and  overwhelm  our  ship.  It  was  indeed  most 
terrific — the  sailors  themselves  saying  that  they,  in 
all  their  experience,  had  never  seen  the  like.  With 
each  succeeding  storm  some  of  the  vessels  disap- 
peared from  view,  a  circumstance  that  obliged  us  to 
lay-to  for  a  day  or  two  till  they  were  again  in  sight ; 
and  in  the  midst  of  this  dreadful  gale  one  of  the  wan- 
derers finally  made  her  appearance.  But,  notwith- 
standing all  this,  most  of  us  continued  well  and  in 


( 1 


234 


Letter  from  Savannah. 


good  spirits ;  and,  occasionally,  we  were  favored  with 
very  laughable  scenes  as  we  saw  the  actions  of  the 
women  and  soldiers. 

At  last,  on  the  i6th  of  December,  the  commodore 
signalled  for  a  pilot.  We  found  ourselves  in  forty  fath- 
oms of  water,  which  already  looked  darker  than  sea- 
water.  A  violent  wind  again  arose  on  the  1 7th,  driv- 
ing us  and  ten  other  ships  (one  of  which  had  on  board 
the  agent  of  the  fleet)  away  from  the  convoy,  towards 
the  land,  which  our  sailors  spied  from  the  mast-head. 
It  was  the  coast  of  Carolina,  not  far  from  Charlestown 
[Charleston].  The  rebels  also  may  have  discerned  our 
fleet ;  for  hardly  had  we  turned  about  to  search  for  the 
missing  vessels  when  thick  columns  of  smoke  shot 
up  into  the  air  at  several  places.  These  are  their  sig- 
nals when  they  expect  an  enemy.  In  the  evening  we 
again  came  up  with  our  convoy,  which  still  consists  of 
38  ships. 

Up  to  the  20th,  the  wind  and  weather  were  fair, 
though  very  warm.  To-day  we  bought  a  pig  from  the 
captain  of  our  ship  for  six  guineas.  It  weighed  120 
pounds.  We  at  once  made  some  very  good  Hessian 
sausages,  and  also  regaled  ourselves  with  pudding- 
broth. 

The  2 1  St,  we  again  saw  land,  but  still  in  the  vicinity 
of  Carolina.  On  the  23d  we  arrived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Georgia,  and  at  last,  about  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  cast  anchor  quite  deeply  into  the  sea,  in  eleven 
fathom?-  of  water.  On  the  24th,  we  weighed  anchor 
and  sailed  towards  the  Savannah  River,  which  we  at 


Letter  from  Savannah. 


235 


first  took  to  be  Port-Royal.  Soon  afterwards  we  saw 
the  light-house,  and  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
we  anchored,  and  were  safe  from  all  stcrms.  The 
rebels,  who  were  in  possession  of  the  city  of  Savannah, 
again  made  their  usual  signals.  On  the  26th,  a  num- 
ber of  vessels,  which  had  been  driven  away  from  the 
fleet  while  at  sea,  arrived.  We  learned  that  a  ship 
which  had  been  driven  from  Sandy  Hook  to  sea  had 
entered  the  St.  John's  River  in  Florida,  and  had  lost 
all  her  masts  in  a  storm.  Two  ships  having  horses  on 
board,  and  which  had  been  driven  away  during  the 
second  storm,  and  that  every  one  supposed  to  be  lost 
or  captured,  are  said  to  have  arrived  at  St.  Augustine. 
On  December  28th,  orders  were  given  Lo  disembark. 
Accordingly,  about  twelve  o'clock,  we  sailed  up  the  Sa- 
vannah River  towards  the  city,  but  on  account  of  the 
ebb-tide  we  anchored  about  6  miles  from  Savannah. 
On  the  29th,  the  troops  were  carried  on  flatboats  to- 
wards the  city,  and  landed  not  far  from  it.  Meanwhile, 
the  rebels  had  posted  themselves  upon  elevations  and 
in  houses,  and  a  Scottish  captain  was  immediately 
killed.  The  enemy,  which  mustered  not  more  than 
800  men,  were  commanded  by  a  general  named  Howe. 
They  did  not,  however,  make  a  long  stand.  Our  loss 
was  20  killed  and  wounded,  among  whom  were  two 
of  Wollwarth's  men.  The  rebel  loss  consisted  of  80 
killed  and  wounded,  and  4(30  prisoners.  Their  leader, 
General  Howe,  x\\  the  survivors  started  up  the 
Savannah  River  towards  Ebenezer.  Twelve  cannon, 
a  large  number  of  magazines,  and  several  ships  (among 


236 


Letter  from  Savannah. 


tiiem  a  French  vessel  carrying  22  guns)  were  captured. 
The  regimental  quartermaster  and  myself  remained 
upon  the  ship. 

On  the  31st,  we  started  for  the  city,  and  took  pos- 
session of  advocate  Farley's  house,  in  which  we  found 
a  fine  libraiy. 

Savannah,  now  forty  years  old,  lies  in  latitude  32°, 
and  has  about  600  houses,  for  the  most  part  lightly  built. 
The  chief  commerce  of  the  inhabitants — of  whom, 
by  the  way,  few  could  be  seen — is  rice,  indigo,  and 
sago.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  had  rup  away  with  the 
rebels,  and  had  as  a  general  thing  either  buried  their 
valuables  or  taken  them  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 
The  finest  furniture,  counters  of  banking-houses,  ma- 
hogany tables  and  chairs,  were  smashed  into  bits  and 
lay  scattered  about  the  streets.  Indeed,  it  was  a  most 
pitiful  sight.  Within  gunshot  of  the  city  is  a  hand- 
some barrack  built  by  the  rebels.  In  it  the  Hessian 
regiments  are  quartered.  No  stones  can  be  seen  here 
— nothing,  in  fact,  but  white  sand.  The  latter  is  piled 
up  so  high  that  in  going  through  it  you  experience  the 
same  feeling  as  if  you  went  through  fallen  snow  a 
foot  deep.  At  the  present  time  (January)  it  is  so 
warm  that  no  fire  is  needed ;  and  in  summer — as  we 
are  informed  by  the  inhabitants,  who  are  now  coming 
in  with  their  arms — it  is  so  hot  that  they  boil  eggs  in 
the  sand,  and  sometimes  can  even  roast  meat  in  it.  No 
mountains  are  to  be  seen,  much  less  a  plain — nothing, 
in  fact,  but  dense  woods.  The  trees  yield  turpentine 
and  pitch.     We  are  now  eating  early  vegetables,  such 


Letter  from  Savannah. 


237 


as  beans,  peas,  lettuce,  and  white  and  yellow  turnips. 
Wild  ducks,  geese,  turkeys,  pheasants,  parrots,  large 
and  small  game,  as  well  as  domestic  fowls,  are  plentiful. 
Bears,  wolves,  tigers,*  and  similar  wild  beasts  are  also 
met  with.  Buffaloes,  likewise  are  to  be  found  in  the  for- 
ests further  inland.  Rattle-snakes  and  even  more  dead- 
ly animals  abound,  and  are,  as  you  may  well  imagine, 
most  disagreeable.  I  will  at  some  future  time  tell 
you  all  about  them  when  we  are  together  face  to  face. 
The  variable  cold,  and  then  suddenly  the  excessive  hot 
weather,  together  with  the  numerous  morasses  and 
stagnant  water,  are  the  cause  of  many  diseases,  espe- 
cially fevers.  Three  and  four  years  in  succession,  and 
in  fact  one  may  say  every  year  up  to  the  fortieth,  the 
inhabitants  (they  seldom  live  longer)  have  fevers. 
Many  Germans  hereabout  attain,  however,  a  great  age. 
I  have  indeed  met  with  several  who  are  74  and  80  years 
old.  This,  you  see,  still  gives  one  some  consolation. 
The  English  General  Prevostf  is  daily  expected 
with  his  garrison  from  St.  Augustine.  They  are  the 
i62d  and  60th  Regiments  of  Royal  Americans,  con- 
sisting of  four  battalions.  Herr  von  Porbeck  and 
many  Germans  are  with  them,  and  among  others  an 
old  university  friend  of  mine,  the  son  of  the  G.  R.  H., 


*  "  Tiger"  is  the  word  in  the  original.  The  writer,  how- 
ever, probably  had  in  his  mind  panthers  or  cougars. 

f  It  may  give  one  some  idea  of  the  way  in  which  old 
times  are  linked  with  the  present,  to  state  that  a  nephew  of 
this  same  general  is  still  (1891)  living,  a  clerk  in  the  N.  Y. 
Custom-house. 


238 


Letter  from  Savan^iah. 


from  Jena,  as  a  lieutenant.  He  is  married,  and  his 
wife  arrived  here  yesterday.  She  is  also  from  Jena, 
and  in  my  time  was  still  a  young  woman.  The 
English  regiments  are  stationed  at  Ebenezer,  25  miles 
from  this  city.  The  Salzburgers  are  also  stationed  at 
this  place.  We  are  in  sight  of  Charlestown,  though 
it  is  fully  120  miles  distant  from  us  here,  and  190 
miles  from  St.  Augustine.  It  is  thought  that  we 
will  not  reach  the  former  city,  although  it  was  so 
given  out  on  our  departure  from  New  York.  May 
Heaven   grant   it  ! — much   as    I    desire   to   see   new 

places.     The  above-mentioned  Madame   H gives 

no  good  account  of  it ;  still,  it  is  healthier  than  here, 
as  it  is  more  hilly,  and  situated  nearer  the  sea. 

N.  S. — General  Prevost  has  this  moment  arrived 
with  250  horsemen.  They  were  farmers,  who  had 
banded  together  in  this  province  and  that  of  Carolina, 
having  taken  sides  with  the  king,  and  for  this  reason 
had  been  pursued  by  the  rebels  and  driven  into  the 
wildernesses.  Finally,  they  retreated  into  a  swamp 
(or,  rather,  an  island  surrounded  by  marshes),  where 
the  rebels  were  unable  to  reach  them.  Here  they 
lived  for  six  days  on  roots  and  herbs,  until  they  were 
rescued  by  General  Prevost.  They  all  wore  red  bands 
upon  their  hats.which  denote  that  they  are  friends  of  the 
king.  They  looked  ragged,  and  wore  shoes  of  untanned 
skins.  Every  one  carried  a  musket  before  him  upon  his 
horse.  They  are  fast  being  drilled  into  regular  soldiers, 
and  have  received  green  riding-waistcoats  with  black 
collars  and  trimmings.        S.  D.  H u,  Anditeur. 


MAJOR-GENERAL    STEtjBEN    TO    PRIVY- 
COUNSELLOR   BARON   DE   FRANK 
IN    HECHINGEN* 


In  Camp  at  New  Winsor,  on  the  North  River, 

July  4,  1779. 

This,  my  friend,  is  the  fifth  letter  I  have  sent  you 
from  th'S  part  of  the  world.  As  I  have  as  yet  re- 
ceived Eio  answer  to  any  of  them,  I  am  apprehensive 
that  my  letters  have  failed  to  reach  you.  Two  ships 
on  which  I  forwarded  letters  to  Europe  I  see  have  been 
seized  by  the  English ;  and  in  regard  to  the  fate  of 
two  other  vessels,  in  which  I  sent  letters  to  you  and 
to  another  friend,  I  am  uncertain.  Your  silence,  my 
dearest  friend,  makes  me  feel  that  these  have  also  been 
lost.  As  I  am  sending  this  present  letter  througli  the 
French  Minister  Plenipotentiary,  M.  Gerard,  I  am 
hoping — in  fact,  flattering  myself — that  it  will  come 

*  This  letter  purports  to  be  given  in  the  appendix  to, 
Kapp's  "  Life  of  Steuben ;"  but  not  only  is  it  not  rendered  in 
full,  but  many  delicate  touches,  revealing  the  personal  traits 
and  affectionate  and  kind-hearted  disposition  of  the  man, 
are  entirely  omitted.  Besides,  considerable  of  the  letter 
which  is  given  is  a  paraphrase,  and  not  a  translation. 

■239 


240 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


to  hand.     I  will  again  repeat  as  far  as  possible  what 
I  have  already  substantially  stated  in  a  former  letter. 

My  first  letter  to  you,  my  dearest  friend,  was  written 
from  Boston  about  five  weeks  after  my  arrival  in  this 
part  of  the  world.  You  will  find  a  better  description 
of  a  storm  in  "  Robinson  Crusoe''  or  other  tales  of 
strange  adventure  than  I  am  abhj  to  give  you.  I 
will  'J  Xy  say  this  much — that  I  have  gone  through 
two  storms,  each  of  which  were  of  the  very  roughest 
description.  The  first  storm  we  met  with  was  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  near  the  coast  of  Africa ;  and  the 
other  one  was  near  the  coast  of  New  Scotland  [Nova 
Scotia].  Each  lasted  three  days,  and  in  both  of  them, 
but  especially  the  first  one,  my  frigate  was  damaged  to 
such  an  extent  that  even  our  sea-officers  gave  up  all 
hope.  If  you  will  add  to  these  small  inconveniences, 
the  fact  that  the  forepart  of  the  ship  took  fire  three 
times,  and  that  we  had  1700  cwt.  of  powder  on  board  ; 
and,  furthermore,  that  a  mutiny  among  the  sailors 
placed  us  in  the  dilemma  of  having  to  enter  into  an  en- 
gagement with  14  men  against  84  in  order  to  overpower 
the  ringleaders  ;  and  that  it  took  us  sixty  days  to  make 
the  voyage,  in  the  most  dangerous  time  of  the  year — 
you  will  then  see  that  this  passage  was  one  of  the  most 
dangerous  and  dreadful  that  could  be  imagined  ! 

But  disagreeable  as  my  voyage  had  been,  so  was 
my  landing  in  America  most  flattering.  We  anchored 
off  Portsmouth,  the  chief  town  and  capital  of  New 
Hampshire,  on  the  ist  December,  1777.  Before  en- 
tering the  harbor  I  sent  my  secretary  in  a  sloop  to  the 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


241 


commandant  to  announce  my  arrival.  General  La- 
dom*  himself,  who  was  in  command,  came  on  board 
the  ship,  and  took  my  officers  and  myself  away  in  his 
barge.  Upon  my  arrival  in  the  harbor  the  guns  of 
the  fort  and  all  of  the  ships  lying  at  anchor  were  dis- 
charged in  my  honor  ;  and  some  thousand  of  the  in- 
habitants upon  my  landing  welcomed  me  in  the  most 
friendly  manner.  M.  Ladom  conducted  me  to  his 
house,  where  we  dined  ;  and  meantime  all  the  people 
came  running  up  to  gaze  on  me,  as  if  I  \,  ore  a  rhinoc- 
eros !  t 

Greatly  as  I  had  been  weakened  by  my  painful 
voyage,  I  yet  devoted  the  next  day  to  an  inspection 
of  the  fortifications.  The  third  day  I  reviewed  the 
troops  of  the  garrison,  and  on  the  4th  of  December  I 
continued  my  journey  to  Boston  by  land.  % 

*  John  Langdon,  a  true  patriot  and  soldier,  who  was  at 
Bennington,  Saratoga,  and  Rhode  Island.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  Congress,  and  also  to  the  convention  that  formed  the 
Federal  Constitution.  In  1788  he  was  chosen  governor  of 
New  Hampshire;  and  from  1789  to  1791  served  as  U.  S. 
Senator.  In  1812  a  majority  in  Congress  selected  him  for 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  an  honor  which  he 
declined.  He  was  born  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  1739,  and 
died  Sept.  18,  1819. 

f  An  American  of  the  present  day  would  have  written, 
"  all  the  people  came  running  up  '  to  see  the  elephant.'  " 

X  An  amusing  anecdote  of  General  Steuben  is  minutely  re- 
lated in  Kapp's  "  Life  of  Steuben,"  which  occurred  on  this 
journey  to  Boston.  A  Tory  landlord  of  a  tavern  in  Worces- 
ter County,  Mass.,  having  declared  that  he  had  neither  beds 


242 


Letter  fro7n  Baron  Steuben. 


My  reception  in  Boston  was  as  flattering  as  that  in 
Portsmouth.  Here  I  met  the  celebrated  Mr.  Han- 
cock, the  former  President  of  Congress.  He  showed 
me  an  order,  just  received  from  Congress,  to  the  effect 
that  all  the  requisite  conveniences  for  the  journey  of 
myself  and  suite  to  Yorktown — where  Congress  at 
that  time  was  assembled — should  be  arranged  to  my 
satisfaction.  Mr.  Hancock  himself  undertook  the 
management ;  and,  as  a  consequence,  wagons,  sleighs, 
and  led  and  off  horses  were  furnished  me.  Five 
Moors  [negroes]  were  given  me  as  grooms  and 
wagon-servants,  and  also  a  commissary  to  look  after 
quarters  and  forage  while  upon  the  journey.  More- 
over, as  I  had  brought  along  only  one  valet  dechambre 
and  one  cook  from  Paris,  I  engaged  two  Englishmen 
in  Boston  as  servants,  and  likewise  formed  a  field 
equipage  for  myself  and  officers.  From  here  (Boston) 
I  wrote  my  first  letter  to  you,  in  which  i  enclosed  one 
for  his  Highness  the  Prince,*  and  a  packet  to  Captain 

von  H ;  and  as  far  as  I  can  now  remember,  there 

was  also  a  letter  to  Fr . 

The  preparation  of  my  equipage  [outfit]  detained 
me  over  five  weeks  in  Boston  ;  but  finally,  on  the  loth 
January,  1778,  I  continued  my  journey  to  Yorktown. 
At  this  place  Congress  received  me  with  every  imag- 

nor  provisions  for  the  party,  Steuben  levelled  his  pistol  at 
the  man's  head,  and  demanded  both.  They  were  quickly 
furnished,  and  in  the  morning  the  Baron  liberally  rewarded 
his  host  in  Continental  money. 

*  The  Prince  of  Hohenzollern-Hechingen. 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


243 


inable  distinction.  A  house  had  already  been  pre- 
pared for  me,  and  two  sentries  were  placed  before  the 
door  of  my  dwelling.  The  d?.y  after  my  arrival  Con- 
gress sent  a  committee  of  three  of  its  members  to 
wait  on  me,  to  learn  under  what  conditions  I  would 
enter  the  service  of  this  country.  My  answer  was, 
that  I  was  unwilling  at  present  to  make  any  terms 
with  Congress ;  that  I  desired  first  to  go  through  the 
approaching  campaign  as  a  volunteer ;  that  I  only 
asked  for  commissions  for  those  officers  whocu'Tiposed 
my  suite  ;  and  that  I  did  not  wish  to  take  either  irmk 
or  pay.  This  was  acceded  to  by  Congress,  as  I  had  an- 
ticipated would  be  the  case.  I  received,  al^?  a  letter  of 
acknowledgment  couched  in  the  most  complimentary 
terms,  and  stating  among  other  things  that  I  should 
be  deferred  to  in  every  particular.*  My  officers  re- 
ceived their  brevets,  and  even  my  secretary  was  given 
the  rank  and  pay  of  a  captain. 

At  this  stage  I  must  mention  that  no  higher  rank 
than  that  of  a  major-general  is  designated  in  our  mili- 
tary rank  here.     General  Washington  is  the   oldest 


*  In  Kapp's  translation  this  sentence  is  not  only  para- 
phrased but  incorrectly  rendered.  Kapp  makes  Steuben  say 
that  Congress  sent  him  a  "  Resolution  of  Thanks,"  whereas 
the  Baron  says  they  sent  him  a  "  letter  of  acknowledgment" 
— a  very  different  idea.  Perhaps  this  is  not  of  much  conse- 
quence ;  only,  if  the  letter  is  worth  giving  at  all,  it  should 
be  translated  accurately.  As  a  matter  of  fact.  Congress  did 
pass  a  resolution  of  thanks ;  only  Steuben  does  not  here 
say  so. 


244 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


major-general,  and  as  general-in-chief  all  the  preroga- 
tives of  a  general  field-marshal  in  other  armies  are 
accorded  him.  His  authority  is  as  undisputed  as  that 
of  the  Stadtholder  of  Holland  was  in  the  zenith  of 
his  power.  The  other  major-generals,  whose  numbers 
at  the  present  time  do  not  exceed  nine,  command 
corps,  armies,  wings  and  divisions.  Major-General 
Gates  commands  the  Army  of  the  North,  General 
Lincoln  that  of  the  South,  and  General  Sullivan  the 
forces  against  the  Indians.  All  are  subject  to  the  or- 
ders of  the  general-in-chief.  The  second  rank  is  that 
of  brigadier-general.  These  command  brigades,  the 
same  as  major-generals  in  European  armies. 

Upon  my  arrival  at  the  army  I  was  again  received 
with  more  marks  of  distinction  than  I  had  expected. 
General  Washington  came  some  miles  to  meet  me 
and  accompanied  me  to  my  quarters,  where  I  found 
an  officer  and  25  men  on  guard.  On  my  remonstrat- 
ing against  this  on  the  ground  that  I  was  simply  to 
be  regarded  as  a  volunteer,  he  replied  in  the  most 
courteous  manner  that  the  entire  army  took  pleasure 
in  protecting  such  volunteers.  He  presented  Major- 
General  Lord  Stirling  and  several  other  generals  to 
me,  and  also  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fernans*  and  Major 
Walker,+  whom  Compress  had  designated 


my 


*  Ferrand,  Marie  Louis,  Baron  and  Count  de,  Governor  of 
Santo  Domingo,  born  in  Besangon,  France,  12th  October, 
1753;  died  in  Palo  Hincado,  Santo  Domingo,  November  7, 
1808. 

f  Walker,  Benjamin,  a  favorite  aide  of  Baron  Steuben,  born 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


245 


jutant-generals.  On  the  same  day  my  name  was 
given  to  the  army  as  the  password,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day  the  army  turned  out,  General  Washington 
accompanying  me  to  review  it.  In  a  word,  if  Prince 
Ferdinand  of  Brunswick  or  the  first  field-marshal  of 
Europe  had  arrived  in  my  place  he  could  not  have  been 
received  with  more  marks  of  distinction  than  I  was. 

My  services  as  a  volunteer  lasted  no  longer  than 
five  weeks,  during  which  I  drilled  the  army  and  made 
various  dispositions  in  it  which  met  with  such  appro- 
bation that  I  received  my  commission  as  a  major- 
general  on  the  26th  of  April.  This  was  also  accom- 
panied at  the  same  time  with  another  commission 
of  inspector-general  of  all  the  armies  of  the  United 
States.     My  salary  was  now  fixed  at   16,400  French 


in  England  in  1753;  died  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  13th  January, 
1818.  As  stated  in  the  text,  he  was  at  this  time  aide-de- 
camp to  Baron  Steuben,  and  in  178 1-2  to  General  Wash- 
ington. He  was  Naval  Officer  of  New  York  under  Wash- 
ington's Administration,  and  Representative  in  Congress 
from  New  York  in  1 801-3.  In  1797  he  was  agent  of  the 
vast  estates  of  the  Earl  of  Bute  in  Central  New  York,  and 
was  identified  with  the  progress  and  growth  of  Utica. 

The  late  Mrs.  Almy  W.  Rogers,  the  mother-in-law  of 
Mr.  Wm.  S.  Mersereau  and  of  Mr.  Charles  W.  Miller  of 
New  York  City,  was  a  ward  of  Col.  Benjamin  Walker.  The 
tea-cup  used  by  that  General  as  part  of  his  breakfast  equi- 
page is  now  in  the  possession  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Miller, 
by  whom  't  is  cherished  as  a  most  precious  relic.  In  these 
iconoclastic  days  it  is  pleasant  to  put  on  record  a  fact  of  this 
kind. 


246 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben, 


livres  ;*  while,  in  addition,  my  table  and  all  of  my 
official  staff  t  were  maintained  free  of  cost  by  a  commis- 
sary ofourown,and  furnished  with  everything  needful. 
Moreover,  22  horses  for  myself  and  equipage,  1  cap- 
tain of  horse,  2  lieutenants,  and  40  dragoons  to  act  as 
a  body-guard  were  assigned  to  me  by  Congress.  Fur- 
thermore, my  adjutants  and  officers  received  the 
requisite  number  of  horses  and  servants  commensu- 
rate with  their  rank.  I  have  2  adjutant-generals,  2  in- 
spection-adjutants, and  2  secretaries  whose  salaries  are 
paid  by  Congress.  Moreover,  I  have  as  adjutants 
Major  des  Epiniers,  a  nephew  of  the  celebrated  Beau- 
marchais,  and  the  Marquis  de  Brittine,  a  major  in  the 
service. 

Flattering  as  these  decided  marks  of  distinction  have 
been,  it  only,  my  friend,  makes  me  the  more  desirous 
to  merit  them.  As  far  as  my  mental  faculties  and 
bodily  vigor  will  allow,  I  shall  unremittingly  devote 
them  to  fulfilling  the  demands  of  a  nation  which  has 
honored  me  with  such  great  confidence.  No  diffi- 
culties, no  troubles,   no    danger,  shall,  nor   can  they, 

*  About  $3300. 

f  Steuben  in  one  of  his  letters  gives  the  number  of  his 
staff  as  twenty-one.  They  were  Majc  is  De  Romanai,  De 
L'Enfarit,  and  Des  Epiniers  ;  Captains  Duponceau  (who  was 
also  his  first  secretary)  and  De  Ponti^re ;  Colonels  Walker 
and  Fleur  ' ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ternant  ;  Captains  Duval 
and  Fairlie ;  Major  North ;  Colonel  Wm.  S.  Smith  ;  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel N.  Fish ;  Colonel  Meade ;  Messrs.  Peyton, 
Randolph,  and  Moore;  Majors  Galvan,Villefranche,  Barber, 
and  Popham  ;  and  lastly,  Lieutenant-Colonel  de  la  Lanyantt". 


getter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


247 


prevent  my  success.  My  department  is  extensive, 
and  one  eighth  of  the  world  seem  to  think  that  my 
talents  may  be  of  service  to  them.  Thank  God  that 
up  to  the  present  they  have  been;  and  cheerfully  will 
I  die  for  a  nation  that  has  so  highly  honored  me  with 
its  confidence.  Up  to  the  present  time  all  of  my  un- 
dertaki'"'gs  have  progressed  successfully,  and  I  can  say 
that  the  trust  reposed  in  me  by  the  army  increases 
daily.  I  commanded  the  left  wing  in  the  first  en- 
gagement of  the  battle  of  Monmouth  last  year,  and 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  turn  the  day  in  our  favor ;  and 
in  all  the  smaller  engagements,  both  of  the  last  and 
present  campaigns,  I  have  been  lucky  enough  to  have 
all  the  soldiers  anxious  to  he  under  my  command.* 


*  At  the  battle  of  Monmouth  Steuben  rallied  the  retreat- 
ing and  demoralized  troops  of  General  Lee.  He  com- 
manded in  this  battle,  as  he  says,  the  left  wing ;  and  Alexander 
Hamilton,  who  witnessed  the  veteran-like  action  of  the  troops 
under  Steuben,  said  he  "  had  never  known  till  that  day  the 
value  of  discipline."  "  Baron  Steuben,"  also  writes  General 
Scammell,  in  a  letter  dated  at  Valley  Forge,  April  8,  1778, 
to  General  Sullivan,  "  sets  us  a  truly  noble  example.  He 
has  undertaken  the  discipline  of  the  army,  and  shows  himself 
to  be  a  perfect  master  of  it,  not  only  in  the  grand  manoeuvres 
but  in  the  most  minute  details.  To  see  a  gentleman  digni- 
fied with  a  lieutenant-general's  commission  from  the  great 
Prussian  monarch  condescended  [sic]  with  a  grace  peculiar 
to  himself,  to  take  under  his  direction  a  squad  of  ten  or 
twelve  men  in  the  capacity  of  drill-sergeant,  commands  the 
admiration  of  both  officers  and  men,  and  causes  them  to  im- 
prove exceedingly  fast  under  his  instructions." 


248 


Letter  from  Baroji  Steuben. 


Last  winter  I  completed  the  '*  Infantry  and  Cavalry 
Tactics,"  which  were  at  once  printed  ar  i  promulgated. 

Congress  testified  its  thanks  to  me,  both  by  a  letter 
of  acknowledgment,  which  was  published  in  all  the 
newspapers,  and  by  a  present  of  two  saddle-horses  and 
4000  thalers  (a  thaler  is  5  livre  and  10  sous)  ;  and  not 
only  my  adjutants,  but  even  my  secretaries,  received 
gratuities. 

The  winter  I  passed  in  Philadelphia.  On  the  4th  of 
January,  I  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Directory 
of  War  [War  Department]  ;  and  on  the  26th  of  March 
I  set  out  to  join  the  army.  During  my  stay  in  Phila- 
delphia I  formed  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
French  Minister,  M.  Gerard,  whose  departure  I  deeply 
regret.  He  honored  me  by  coming  in  person  to  the 
camp  to  visit  me  ;  and  I  need  not  say  that  he  was  re- 
ceived by  the  army  with  all  the  honors  due  an  am- 
bassador. The  day  following  his  arrival  I  ordered  a 
manoeuvre  to  be  executed  by  eight  regiments  of  in- 
fantry and  16  cannon  ;  and  at  the  close  M.  Gerard, 
the  general-in-chief,  and  all  the  generals  and  colonels 
of  the  army  dined  with  me  at  a  table  coLsisting  of 
sixty  covers. 

I  am  at  present  on  a  tour  of  inspection  for  the  pur- 
pose not  only  of  reviewing  all  the  regiments,  but  of 
introducing  the  system  laid  down  in  my  tactics.  In- 
deed, my  friend,  I  have  been  fortunate  in  everything 
I  have  here  undertaken.  I  am  now  fifth  in  rank  as 
general ;  and  if  my  career  be  not  ended  by  a  fever  or 
by   half  an  ounce  of  lead,  the  possibilities  are  vast 


Letter  from  Baroit  Steuben, 


249 


enough  to  satisfy  the  most  ambitious.  Two  or  three 
years  of  toil,  and  then,  my  friend,  you  must  promise 
to  visit  me  in  Paris ;  and  there  we  will  discuss  the 
question  whether  we  are  to  dine  together  *  in  Europe 

or  in  America.     Oh  !  my  dearest  F ,  why  have  I 

wasted  my  years  in  such  a  manner !  Two  years  of 
work — if  one  is  not  afraid  of  toil  and  danger — can 
make  a  man  successful.  Experience  has  convinced 
me  of  this  ;  nor  can  I  forgive  myself  for  my  past 
indolence. 

What  a  beautiful,  what  a  happy  country  this  is  ! 
Without  kings,  without  prelates,  without  blood-suck- 
ing farmer-generals,f  and  without  idle  barons  !  Here 
everybody  is  prosperous.  Poverty  is  an  unknown 
evil.  Indeed,  I  should  become  too  prolix  were  I  to 
give  you  an  account  of  the  prosperity  and  happiness 
of  these  people.  J     The  account   of   them   by  Abb6 

*  i.e.,  be  associated  together. 

f  In  verbis  simns  faciles,  etc.  When  Brutus  freed  Rome 
from  kingly  rule  the  Patricians  spoke  much  of  freedom,  and 
meanwhile  rode  almost  rough-shod  over  the  Plebeians  who 
had  been  released  from  the  yoke.  Again,  under  the  Pro- 
tector Cromwell  many — especially  gentlemen  of  the  army — 
sang  songs  of  praise  that  the  king  was  no  more.  It  is  true 
that  the  word  "  farmer-general "  has  always  been  unknown 
in  North  America  ;  but  by  what  name  shall  wc  call  those 
gentlemen  who,  since  the  year  1774,  yearly  take  large  sums 
(under  threat  of  punishment  by  fire  and  sword)  from  the  in- 
habitants for  the  purpose  of  continuing  the  war  ? — Note  by 
Schlozcr. 

X  All  Europeans  who  have  visited   America  during  the 


250 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


Reynal  is  not  entirely  accurate,  but  it  is  the   best. 
Read  it  and  judge  for  yourself. 

But  enough  of  myself  and  my  new  Fatherland. 
How  are  you,  my  friend,  and  how  is  our  most  serene 
sovereign  ?  Please  hand  the  enclosed  to  the  best  of 
princes,  with  the  assurances  of  my  most  submissive 
respect.  My  happiness  will  only  be  complete  when 
I  hear  that  he  has  received  convincing  proofs  of  the 
intensity  of  my  gratitude.  My  many  duties  and  the 
uncertainty  of  the  ocean  have  hitherto  prevented  my 
doing  so.  Before  leaving  Philadelphia,  however,  I 
requested  a  certain  Mr.  Robert  Morris  to  procure  a 
complete  collection  of  North  American  trees  (of 
which  there  are  some  320  different  varieties),  and  to 
send  three  or  four  specimens  of  each  kind  to  the  care 
of  M.  Gerard  in  Paris  next  fall.  M,  Gerard  has 
promised  to  send  the  trees  at  my  cost  to  Strasburg, 
at  the  same  time  notifying  his  serene  highness  the 
prince.  Mr.  Morris  procured  a  similar  collection  this 
spring  for  the  King  of  France.     The  Garden  of  Pheas- 


present  war  unite  in  speaking  of  the  wonderful  prosperity 
of  that  country,  which  seems  to  strike  the  eye  at  a  glance. 
This  prosperity,  admitted  by  both  sides,  has  either  begun 
since  the  rebellion  of  1774, — a  proposition  which  no  one,  in 
the  very  nature  of  things,  can  maintain,  since  a  poverty- 
stricken  people  require  a  geneiav'ion  under  the  wisest  of 
governments  to  become  prosperous, — or  the  accounts  must 
have  been  written  at  a  previous  period  when  North  Amer- 
ica was  under  British  rule.  That  rule,  therefore,  could  not 
have  been  either  oppressive  or  tyrannical. — Note  by  Schlozer, 


Letter  front  Baron  Steuben. 


251 


ants  is  the  best  place  for  this  collection.  Nothing 
excepting  the  uncertainties  of  navigation  will  prevent 
me  at  this  or  some  future  time  from  tendering  my 
respectful  acknowledgments  to  the  Princess  and  the 
Princess  von  F in  the  way  of  West  Indian  goods. 

And  then,  my  friend,  what  shall  I  give  you  ?   and 

what  for  H ?   and   also   for  ?     In   truth,   I 

still    have  some   acknowledgments   to    make    before 

closing  my  le^«:cr.     How  is  Fr ?    Is  he  married  ? 

Is  he  happy  ?  If  not,  let  him  come  here,  for  I  can 
now  reward  his  services.  In  case  he  should  conclude 
to  do  so,  send  me  word  speedily,  and  I  will  forward 
his  travelling  expenses  to  Strasburg. 

I  wrote  you  that  I  would  give  Schleitheim  employ- 
ment here,  although  it  is  difficult  to  get  along  in 
the  service  without  a  knowledge  of  English.  I  have 
now  thoroughly  masterr  i  that  language,  so  that  I 
can  write  and  speak  of  anything  I  wish ;  and  I  have 
even  written  my  "  Tactics"  in  English.*  Inasmuch  as 

*  "  In  the  autumn  of  1780,"  says  "Applcton's  American 
Biographical  Cyclopeedia,"  "  Steuben  published  a  Manual  for 
the  army,  furnished  with  diagrams  to  explain  his  rules.  It 
was  entitled  '  Regulations  for  the  Order  and  Discipline  of 
the  Troops  of  the  United  States.'  Each  chapter  was  written 
first  in  poor  German,  then  translated  into  poor  French, 
then  put  into  good  French,  and  lastly  into  good  English,  in 
which  last  condition  it  was  entirely  unintelligible  to  Steu- 
ben. It  nevertheless  served  its  purpose,  became  the  law  and 
guide  of  the  army,  and  even  after  the  war  was  adopted  by 
several  of  the  States." 

The  above  quotation,  it  will  be  seeft  from  Steuben's  letter, 


252 


Letter  from  Bar 071  Steuben. 


I 


Schleitheim  did  not  arrive  here,  and  as  I  have  received 
no  word  from  you  since  I  wrote  you  about  him,  I 
infer  that  you  have  either  failed  to  receive  my  letter, 
or  that  he  has  been  provided  for  in  another  way. 
Moreover,  I  must  candidly  admit  to  you  that  six 
foreign  officers  cause  more  trouble  to  me  here  than 
two  hundred  American  ones ;  and  indeed  most  of  the 
foreigners  have  so  utterly  lost  their  credit,  that  it  is 
daily  becoming  more  difficult  to  employ  foreign 
officers.  A  large  number  of  German  barons  and 
French  marquises  have  already  sailed  away  ;*  and  I  am 

contains  two  grave  errors :  ist.  The  Manual  was  published 
in  1779;  aiH  2d,  so  far  from  its  being  unintelligible  to 
Steuben  in  English,  he  expressly  says  he  had  written  it  him- 
self in  that  language.  The  quotation  also,  it  seems  to  me, 
contains  a  slur  upon  Steuben,  by  intimating  that  it  was  first 
written  in  "  poor  German  " — Steuben's  own  mother-tongue. 
This  is  tantamount  to  saying  that  Steuben  was  illiterate, 
which  certainly  was  not  the  case  :  on  the  contrary,  it  was  far 
otherwise.  It  is  surprising,  also,  that  Kapp  (a  conscientious 
and  able  historian)  in  his  "  Life  of  Baron  Steuben"  falls  into 
one  of  these  errors.  Speaking  of  the  Manual,  he  says  :  "  It 
was  afterward  written  in  good  English  by  Captain  Walker; 
and  when  it  was  completed  Steuben  did  not  understand  a 
word  of  it  himself,  from  his  ignorance  of  the  English  lan- 
guage" I  I  say  "  surprising ;"  because  Kapp,  whom  per- 
sonally I  knew  well,  was  one  of  the  most  kind-hearted  and 
genial  of  men,  and  would  not  willingly  have  done  injustice 
to  a  human  being,  no  matter  how  lowly  his  station. 

*  The  reader  will  recall  the  letter  from  Boston,  in  which 
the  writer  says  that  "  thirty-one  French  officers  are  to  sail 
shortly  back  to  France." 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


253 


always  nervous  and  apprehensive  when  a  baron  or  a 
marquis  announces  himself.  While  here  we  are  in  a 
republic ;  and  Mr.  Baron  does  not  count  a  farthing 
more  than  Mister  Jacob  or  Mister  Peter.  Indeed, 
German  and  French  noses  can  hardly  accustom 
themselves  to  such  a  state  of  things  i  Our  general  of 
artillery,  for  instance,  was  a  bookbinder  in  Boston.* 
He  is  a  worthy  man,  thoroughly  understands  his  trade, 
and  fills  his  present  position  with  much  credit. 

Baron  von  Kalbe  and  myself  are  now  the  only  for- 
eign generals  in  the  United  States  service  ;  and  Kalbe, 
who  has  an  income  of  over  30,000  livres  in  France, 
will  resign  at  the  end  of  this  campaign.f 

Finally,  my  friend,  I  will  only  state  to  you  my  pros- 
pects and  then  close  my  letter.  I  will  finish  the  war 
here,  or  it  will  finish  me.  Without  doubt  Engkid,  at 
the  utmost,  can  continue  the  game  but  two  years 
longer.  It  will  then  be  my  care  to  put  the  army  and 
the  militia  in  the  thirteen  provinces  on  a  uniform  and 
solid  footing;  and  this  having  been  accomplished,  I 
shall  render  an  account  to  Congress  as  to  what  we 
owe  each  other.  My  ability  to  keep  up  my  appoint- 
ments on  16,400  livres  is  assured  to  me  for  life.  Con- 
gress has  promised  me,  not  gifts,  but  a  landed  estate 
either  in  New  Jersey  or  Pennsylvania,  two  of  the  best 


*  General  Knox. 

f  Kalbe  was  recently  (i6tb  Aug.  1780)  killed  in  the  engage- 
ment at  Camden.  He  was  wounded,  captured,  and  died. — 
Note  by  Sc/ilOzcr. 


254 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


provinces.*  A  considerable  pension  from  France,  after 
the  (successful)  termination  of  the  war,  was  pledged 
to  me  by  the  French  Court  before  my  departure  for 
America ;  besides  which,  I  can  depend  upon  receiving 
a  substantial  gratuity  especially  from  the  thirteen  prov- 
inces To  -^  squire  all  this  requires  on  my  part  only 
three  -^-^  •  at  the  farthest,  of  life,  health,  steadfast- 
ness oi  M!r->  >e  and  courage.  The  first  two  conditions 
do  not  aepena  ;on  me  :  the  last  two  are  within  my 
power  and  control.  And  then,  my  friend,  when  these 
have  been  fulfilled  !  Then  shall  I  see  you  in  Europe  ; 
and  then  we  can  talk  the  matter  over,  and  decide 
whether  you  shall  in  future  dine  with  me  in  Paris  or 
Philadelphia ! 

Believe  me,  my  friend,  this  globe  of  ours  is  not  so 
large  as  we  imagine  it !  An  ant  does  not  deserve  its 
food  if  it  is  too  lazy  to  seek  it  at  the  other  side  of  its 
hill;  and  I  have  already  wasted  fourteen  years  of  my 
life.     Now,  is  Canada  my  hunting-lodge  ;  Georgia  my 

*  *  "After  the  war  Congress,  with  its  usual  vacillating  course, 
refused  to  fulfil  its  contract  with  Steuben  to  pay  him  for  his 
services,  but  he  was  given  grants  of  land  in  Virginia,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  New  Jersey.  The  latter  he  declined  to  accept 
when  he  found  it  consisted  of  the  confiscated  estates  of  an 
old  Tory  who  would  be  left  destitute,  and,  in  the  kindness 
of  his  heirt,  he  interceded  for  him.  He  was  also  given  a 
whole  townsi  ip  near  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  after  seven  years' 
delay  Congress  at  length  allowed  him  a  pension  of  $2400." 
He  retired  to  this  land,  and,  clearing  off  60  acres,  built  a 
log-house  in  which  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  the  22d  Nov.  1795. 


if 


i. 


Letter  from  Baron  Steuben. 


255 


country-seat ;  and  this  strip  of  land  the  eighth  ,'  the 
world.  At  each  of  these  extreme  ends  an  order '  .gned 
by  me  will  be  executed.  This  is  somewhat  flattering 
to  an  ambitious  man  ;  and  you  can,  therefore,  recog- 
nize your  friend  ! 

When  you  write  to  me,  my  best  of  friends,  address 
your  letters  to  the  care  of  M.  Gerard  at  Versailles, 
through  whose  agency  I  shall  more  securely  receive 
them.  This  is  his  address  "  M.  Gerard^  Conseiller 
des  Affaires  Etrangers  d  /e^  allies."  And  here  is 
mine  : 

"  To  His  Excellence,  the  honorable  Baron  of  Steu- 
ben, Inspector-General  ana  Major-General  of  the 
Armies  of  the  United  S.   tes  in  North  America." 

Have  the  kindness,  my  friend,  to  send  the  worthy 

General  R d  an  abstract  of  my  letter.     My  many 

engagements  prevent  me  from  writing  to  all  the  peo- 
ple whom  I  esteem  and  honor.    Sp is  to  be  classed 

with  those  people.  Let  him  know  of  my  present  cir- 
cumstances;   for  I  am  certain  they  will  interest  him. 

Should  General  R ,   or  any  other  of  my  friends, 

know  of  any  officers  or  other  persons  who  would  like 
to  try  their  luck  in  this  part  of  the  world,  a  line  writ- 
ten by  them  to  me  will  be  sufficient  by  them  to  secure 
my  very  best  endeavors  to  promote  their  welfare. 

Farewell ;  and  long  and  happily  may  you  live,  my 
dearest  friend  !  Let  me  soon  hear  from  you  ;  and  I 
remain,  with  the  sincerest  friendship. 

Yours,  most  truly, 

Steuben. 


'  «i  i 


APPENDIX. 


The  following  sketch  of  the  R^'collets  and  their  convent 
is  condensed  from  an  address  on  the  English  cathed  al  of 
Quebec,  recently  delivered  before  the  "Historical  Society" 
of  that  city  by  its  accomplished  librarian,  Mr.  F.  C.  Wiirtele  : 

The  mendicant  order  of  friars  called  Franciscans  was 
founded  in  Spain,  in  the  year  1208,  by  St.  Francis  d'Assisi, 
and  subsequently  were  introduced  into  France  by  St.  Louis 
of  Gonzaga.  They  were  also  called  "  R^coUets,"  from  the 
Latin  word  Recollectus,  signifying  "  meditation "  and  also 
"  gathering."  Their  chief  works  were  teaching,  nursing  the 
sick,  and  ministering  to  the  poor,  whose  wants  they  supplied 
out  of  the  donations  and  alms  which  they  received.  In 
fact,  their  livelihood  was  obtained  entirely  by  begging,  per- 
formed by  the  "  Fr^res  Mineurs ;"  and  so  highly  were  they 
esteemed  and  beloved  in  old.  Canada,  that  the  habitans 
would  always  transport  free  of  charge  the  results  of  their 
begging  expeditions  from  village  to  village,  and  finally  to 
the  convent  in  Quebec.  The  boatmen,  also,  invariably 
were  pleased  to  ferry  them  free  across  the  St.  Lawrence.  In 
1614,  four  R^coUets  were  chosen  as  missionaries  to  Canada, 
namely :  Fathers  Denis  Jamay,  the  superior ;  Jean  D'OI- 
beau,  Joseph  LeCaron,  and  Brother  Pacifique  Duplessis. 
They  assembled  at  Rouen  in  March,  1615,  and  sailed  from 

256 


Appendix. 


257 


Honfleur  on  the  24th  April,  arriving  at  Tadousac  on  the 
25th  May,  and  proceeding  thence  to  Quebec.  A  temporary 
chapel  and  house  were  erected  near  the  "  Abitation,"  now 
the  site  of  the  Church  of  Notre-Dame  des  Victoires. 

This  was  the  first  church  erected  in  the  French  posses- 
sions in  North  America.  The  convent  was  first  completed, 
but  the  church  was  not  ready  for  consecration  until  25th 
May,  1 62 1,  and  was  named  Notre-Dame  des  Anges.  P6re 
LeClerq  iic>,rrates  that  they  still  retained  the  house  and 
chapel  erected  in  1615,  in  the  lower  town  of  Quebec,  and 
used  them  as  Hospice  and  "  Chapelle  succursale."  The 
establishment  on  the  St.  Charles  was  strongly  built  and  of 
a  semi-military  character,  fitted  with  bastions  and  surrounded 
with  palisades,  in  order  to  guard  against  the  raids  of  the 
Indians.  In  fact  the  building  was  hardly  completed  when 
the  friars  repulsed  a  serious  attack  of  the  Iroquois. 

In  1677,  Governor  Frontenac  built  for  them,  at  his  own 
expense,  a  large  convent,  to  which,  in  1678,  a  chapel  and 
sacristy  were  added.  The  R^coUets,  however,  had  not  been 
ten  years  in  possession  of  their  convent  when  they  wished 
to  establish  themselves  in  the  Upper  Town  of  Quebec,  and 
on  the  8th  May,  1681,  they  obtained  from  the  king  an 
emplacement  called  the  "  Senechauss^e  "  or  "  Seneschal's 
Jurisdiction,"  between  Garden,  St.  Anne,  and  St.  Louis 
streets,  on  which  they  built  by  degrees  a  convent  and 
church. 

At  the  siege  of  Quebec,  in  1759,  the  R^collet  buildings 
were  considerably  damaged  by  the  fire  of  the  British ;  and 
this  calamity,  together  with  the  fall  of  Quebec,  having  ren- 
dered homeless  the  few  friars  that  remained,  they  dispersed. 
From  this  time  the  number  of  Recollets  diminished  year  by 
year,  so  that  their  convent  was  too  large  for  them,  but  in 
1776  the  unoccupied  portion  was  used  as  a  jail  for  political 
offenders,    and    the   American    prisoners   taken    in    Mont- 


258 


Appendix. 


gomery's  fatal  attack  on  Quebec,  31st  December  of  that 
year,  were  there  locked  up. 

The  Recollects  were  most  liberal  towards  other  religious 
denominations,  for  it  is  recorded  in  the  Qiicbcc  Gazette  of 
Thursday,  21st  May,  1767,  that  :  "On  Sunday  next,  divine 
service,  according  to  the  use  of  the  Church  of  England,  will 
be  at  the  Recollets'  church  and  continue  for  the  summer 
season,  beginning  soon  after  eleven.  The  drum  will  beat 
each  Sunday  soon  after  half  an  hour  past  ten,  and  the 
Recollets'  bell  will  ring,  to  give  notice  of  the  English  ser- 
vice, the  instant  their  own  is  ended." 

The  R(^colIet  convent  and  church  were  again  burned  on 
the  6th  of  September,  1796;  and  after  the  fire  the  Govern- 
ment took  possession  of  the  property  and  razed  the  ruins. 
Part  of  the  foundation  wall  could  till  lately  be  seen  in  the 
roadway  between  the  Cathedral  and  Place  d'Armcs  near  the 
crossing.  That  portion  of  it  now  surrounded  by  a  stone 
wall  forms  the  English  Cathedral  "  Close." 


INDEX. 


Abhott,    Dr.    Chas.    O., 

quoted,  218. 
Acland,  Major,  124;  Lady, 

126. 
Adams,  John,  204. 
Albany,  56,  100,  118,  125, 

1 43-. 
Albanians,  104. 

Albemarle,  Va.,  177. 

American  women,  descrip- 
tion of,  138. 

Anbury,  Lieut.,  176. 

Andra,  Captain,  109. 

Andre,  Major,  201. 

Angelica,  N.  Y.,  named 
after  Gen.  Schuyler's 
daughter,  157. 

Arnold,  General,  German 
opinion  of,  53;  names 
of  vessels  in  his  fleet,  53, 
98,  II  I,  126. 

Athanas,  an  Indian  Prince, 
80. 

Auchmuty,  Rev.  Sam.,  201. 


Ayers.  Robert,  messenger 
to  Jane  McCrea,  95. 


Bach,  Lieut.,  97. 
Balcarras,  Lord,  125. 
Barmer,  Major,  von,  109 ; 

battalion  of,  39,  51,  149. 
Barnaby,  Captain,  sketch 

of,  220. 
Bartling,  Captain,  109. 
Bast^,  river,  47. 
Batiscan,  river,  44. 
Baum,    Colonel,   97,    100, 

109,  160. 
Bauman,  Sebastian,  sketch 

of,  133-. 
Becker,  Lieut.,  91. 
Belden,  Bauman  L.,  134. 
Belle-Island  (Randall's), 

200. 
Bennington,  battle  of,  100, 

no,  118. 
Bic,  Isle  of,  13,  4 


11 


Index. 


Billop,  Colonel,  204. 

Blackwell's  Island,  199. 

Blanc,  Captain,  44. 

Blandford,  145. 

Bloomfield,  Major,  124. 

Bode,  Lieut.,  123. 

Booth  Bros.,  125,  126. 

Boston,  128,  135,  138,  154, 
173;  frigate,  172. 

Bothman,  Lieut.,  109. 

Brandy  wine,  creek,  216. 

Brant,  Joseph,  79. 

Breva,  Lieut.,  109. 

Breyrnann,  Gen.,  97,  99, 
100,  103,  109,  114,   123. 

Bride,  Eng.  frigate,  44. 

Brookfield,  149. 

Brown,  Captain,  166. 

Brunswick,  city  of,  40,  1 79  ; 
duchy  of,  154. 

Bunker's  Hill,  154. 

Burgoyne,  Gen.,  56,  87, 
III,  114,  115,  119,  120, 
122,  154;  gives  a  ball, 
156;  acts  as  counsel  at 
Henley's  trial,  161,  162; 
embarks  for  E norland, 
169,  170. 

Bushwick,  L.  I.,  197. 

Bute,  Lord,  245. 


Campbell,  Lieut.-Col.,  230; 
names  of  his  ships,  230. 


Cambridge,     Mass.,     116, 

153.  i54-5»  107. 

Campagne,  General,  1 1 7. 

Canadian  winter,  60,  72  ; 
products,  14;  volunteers, 
79 ;  houses,  1 5 ;  political 
economy,  20;  domestic 
economy,  62  ;  hunting, 
62;  character,  28  ;  habit- 
ants, 43. 

Captains  de  Melice  (Mili- 
tia), 22. 

Carleton,  Gen.,  20,  21,  26, 
Zl^  60,  75,  'JT,  80. 

Carleton,  Capt.,  55,  64,  65. 

,  Lady,  68. 

J  Lady  Anne,  65. 

,  Major  Thomas,  65. 

Carlisle,  Lord,  232. 

Carter,  Angelica,  dau.  of 
Gen.  Schuyler,  156. 

Cartier,  [aques,  river,  42. 

Castleton,  Vt,  84. 

Cavendish,  Lord,  55. 

Champlain,lake,38, 48,  51, 

^  52,  76,77,78,83,94,108. 

Charleston,  236. 

Charlottesville,  Va.,  1 78, 
181. 

Cherry-Valley     massacre, 

Chester,  Pa.,  222. 
Chicot,  river,  47. 
Church,  J  no.  Carter,  Schuy- 
ler's son-in-law,  157. 


|- 


?A- 


Index. 


•  •  • 

111 


Church,  Phillip,  157/ 

Cilley,  Colonel,  121. 

Cincinnati,  Society  of,  132. 

Clark  (Clerke),  Sir  Fran- 
cis, 127. 

Clarendon,  Vt,  85,  88. 

Claverack,  143. 

Clinton,  Gen.  Geo.,  83,  88. 

,  Sir  Henry,  119,  174. 

Colbert,  Seigneur,  47. 

Condon,  Michael,  finds 
gold  on  Saratoga  battle- 
field, 115. 

Congressional  Committee, 
despotism  of,  1 50. 

Connecticut  river,  146; 
oxen  of,  146. 

Continentals,  description 
of,  128. 

Convention  troops  start 
for  Boston,  135. 

Cook,  Ransom,  and  wife, 

95- 
Cornwallis,  Lord,  213. 

Cox,  Hon.  Samuel  S.,  127. 
Cramahe,  Lieut.-Gov.,  66. 
Crown-Point,  54. 
Cruse,  Lieut.,  123. 
Cunningham,    of    sugar- 
house  memory,  166. 
Custer,  Gen.  Geo.  A.,  141. 


Dahlsjeine,  Captain,  123, 
160. 


Dalgleish,  J.  J.,  quoted, 
1 1  7,  [68. 

D'Annieres,  Lieut,  Jr.,  109. 

Danville's  map  of  North 
America,  192. 

Deerfield,  135. 

Delavall,  Thomas,  201. 

Denecke,  Ensign,  123. 

De  Peyster,  Gen.  J.  Watts, 
quoted,  128,  148. 

Diamond  Island,  in,  119. 

Dommers,  Captain,  109. 

Donop,  Colonel,  195. 

Dovogat-House,  112. 

Duer,  Judge  Wm.,  sketch 
of,  96. 

Duponceau,  aide  to  Steu- 
ben, 186. 

Dutch  settlers  at  Kinder- 
hook,  N.  Y.,  137. 

Dutch  Reformed  Church, 
Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  144. 

Eden,    Commissioner 

Wm.,  232. 
Edmonston,  Captain,  178. 
Ehrenkrook,     Lieut.-Col., 

66,  71. 
Elk-River,  Pa.,  216  ;  ferry 

at,  219. 


Ferdinand,  Prince,  245. 
Fernans,  Colonel,  244. 
Fevre,  a  cur^,  66. 


IV 


Index. 


Fiske,  Prof.  J  no.,  quoted, 
89,  I II. 

Fishkill,  120. 

Flatbush,  195. 

Fletcher,  Prof.  James, 
quoted,  43. 

Fort,  Anne,  95,  99. 

,  Chambly,  50. 

,  Edward,  88,  99,  156. 

,  Ticonderogr  (Caril- 
lon), 54,  56,  76,  83,  112, 
118,  125. 

Fort,  George,  88,  94,  104, 
108,  1 10,  156. 

Fort,  Stanwix,  1 1 1. 

,  Hardy,  127. 

,  Ingoldsby,  134. 

,  Massachusetts,   134. 

,  Miller,  97,  99. 

,  Winslow,  134. 

Foy,  Captain   Ed.,  sketch 

of,  74. 
Franciscan  Friars,  257. 
Franklin,     Benjamin,    ']'], 

146,  204. 
Eraser,   Gen.    Simon,    54, 

87,  96,  98,  117,  120,  123, 

126,  128. 
Eraser,  Capt.,   114;  corps 

of,  172. 
Fredersdorf,  Captain,  115, 

123. 
Freeman's  Farm,  battle  of, 

115. 
Freeman's  House,  123. 


Free-mason,  burial  of  a,  38. 
Frontenac,  Governor,  258. 


Gall,  General,  54. 
Gates,  Gen.,  124,  126,  129, 

131.  134.  H9'  -44;  ''^rmy 

of,  1 10,  120. 
Gebhard,  Lieut.,  109. 
Gensau,  Captain,  109. 
George,  Lake,  112,  128. 
Gerard,  minister,  239,  248. 
Germaine,    Lord   George, 

89. 
Gleissenberg,    Capt.,   109, 
^  123. 

Glover,  Gen.  J  no.,  161. 
Gordon,  General,  30. 
Gniff,  Count,  109. 
Great  Barrington,  144. 
Greenbush,  137. 
Greenfield,  Mass.,  144. 
Green,  Captain,  124. 
Grobschmidt  (Goldsmith), 

Captain,  91. 
Grootland  (Rutland),  85. 


Haherlin,  engineer,  123. 
Hagermann,  color-bearer, 

109. 
Haldimand,  Gen.,  65. 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  1 14, 

216,  247. 
Hampton,  Va.,  180. 


Index. 


Hancock,   John,    ']'],    157, 

242  ;   daughter  of,  141. 
Hannemann,  color-bearer, 

109. 
Hardy,  Governor,  127. 
Harlem  river,  188. 
Harris-Hook  (91st  St.,  N. 

Y.),  188. 
tiarvard  College,  155. 
Hartz  Mountains,  40, 
Heath,     Gen.,     155,    166, 

176. 
Heister,  Cjen.,  206. 
Hell-Gate,  188. 
Henley,  Col.   David,  161, 

169. 
Henley,  Major  Thos.,  164. 
Hemstead  Plains,  196. 
Hendrick's  Point,  193. 
Hesse-Hanau    Regiment, 

49.  104. 
Hesse-Hanan      Artillery, 

1 15,  121. 
Hill,  Colonel,  167. 
Hinrich,  Lieutenant,  188. 
Hintersass,  Johann  (John 

Henderson),  a  deserter, 

140. 
Hollander's     Crick 

(Creek),  218. 
Howe,   Gen.,  56,   ']'],   119, 

204,  235;  army  of,  149. 
Howe,  Lord,  205. 
Hubert-tow  .  (H  u  bb  a  r- 

ton),  batt.e  of,  90. 


Hudson  river,  100. 
Huron  nation,  79. 


L\GOLDSBY,   Lt.-Gov.,    1 34. 

Isle    au    Castor,  48. 

Cerf,  50. 

DeuxTetes,52. 

Grande,  52. 

Motte,  52. 


Noix,  51. 

du  Pas,  48. 

St.  Pierre,  192. 

Jamay,  Father  Jenis,  257. 
Johnson,  Sir  John,  70. 

,  Capt.,  1 16. 

Jones,  David,  95. 
House,  99. 

Kapp,  Frederick,  239,  241, 

242. 
Katte,  Lieut,  57. 
Kinderhook,  129,  137,  138. 
Kings- Bridge,  189. 
Kingsford,    Dr.    William, 

quoted,  71. 
Kipp's  Bay,  133, 
Kosciusko,  Gen.,  134. 


Lahadists,  Journal  of,  197. 
La    Nauaiere,    Louis    T., 
69,  100,  102. 


VI 


Index, 


Lamb,  Col  Anthony,  133. 
Mrs.    Martha    J, 

quoted,   190. 
Langdon,  Gen.,  sketch  of, 

241. 
Lee,  Gen.,  247. 
Le  Carm,  Father  Joseph, 

257. 
Le  Clerq,  Pere,  257. 

Lincoln,  Gen.,  119. 

Little  Britain,  L.  I.,  196. 

Lively,  a  transport,  203. 

London,  a  ship,  82. 

Long-Island,  battle  of,  1 86, 

188;  Indians  of,  187. 
Loretto  (Lorette),  79. 
Lossing,  Dr.,  quoted,  118 

228. 
Lotterlob,  Maj.,  160. 


Macaulay,  Lord,  quoted, 

126. 
McCrea,    Jenny,   95     i?6. 

Kay,  Capt.,  83. 

Kenna,  an  Irishman, 

78. 
McLean,  Adj. -Gen.,  58. 
Maidens-Hill    (Maiden 

Lane),  182. 
Manheim,  Pa.,  219. 
Maqui^re,  river,  42. 
Markham,  J.  C.,  126. 
Marlborough,  153. 
Marshall- House,  102. 


Mascouche,  river,  47. 

Maskononge,  river,  47. 

Medford,  154. 

Meiborn,  Maj.,  109. 

Melsheimer,  Chapla'.i,  his 
journal,  109. 

Mengen,  Col.  de.,  141, 
160;  Grenadier  Battal- 
ion of,  1 76. 

Mersp.reau,  Wm.,  S.,   245. 

Messero,  a  commissioner, 

165 
Miller,  Charles  W.,  245. 
Millerd,  Nelson,  95. 
Meyer,  Lieut.,  j  23. 
Miquelon  Island,  192. 
Mohawk  river,  104. 
Monmouth,  Battle  of,  132 

247. 
Monnin,  Capt.    f  16. 
Montgomery,  Gen.,  66. 
Montreal,  13. 
Montr^sor,  Col.  Jas.,   127 

200. 
Montresor,  Col.  John,  127, 

200. 
Morgan,  Gtn.,  126. 
Mud-Bank,  212. 
Miihlenfeldt,  Lieut.,  109. 
Munsell  Sons,  168. 
Mystic  Village,  154. 


Negi<oes,  status  of,  in  colo 
nies,  142. 


'^r  ■'   :  m^- 


Index. 


V1 1 


New-Citv  (Lansingburgh, 

N.Y.),  136. 
Newport,  177,  209. 

town,  196. 

Utrecht,  195. 

York  Island,  188. 

Niagara,  76. 
Nicholson,  Gen.,  134. 
Nobletown,  144. 
Northampton,  135. 
Nugent,  a  habitant,  49. 


O'CoNNELL,    Capt.,     109, 

170. 
Ogilvie,  Rev.  John,  190. 
Oswego,  III. 


Parish,  description  of  a,  t  3. 
Parishes  : 

Au  Loup,  47. 

Barties,  47. 

Batiscamp.  38,  44,  55. 

Bel  Neville,  50. 

Cap  Sante,  42, 

Charnbeant,  42. 

Chambly,  50. 

Champlin,  44. 

Chantilly,  40. 

L'Aubugniere,  42. 

Les  Grondines,  43, 55. 

Machitiche,  47. 

Maskinonge,  47. 

Pointe  au  Lac,  46. 


Parishes : 

Rosencour,  44. 

St.Anne,43,55;strc:it 
of,  258. 

St.  Antoine,  47,  50,  54. 

Augustine,  41. 

Charles,  50,  258. 

Denis,  49,  54. 

St.    Francis    d'Assisi, 

,  257. 

St.  Foye,  40. 

Louis,  50. 

Magdalene,  44. 

Ricom,  44. 

Therese,  50. 

Thomas,  50. 

Tonnancour,  46. 
Paulus-Hook    (Jersey 

City),  133,  144. 
Pausch, Capt.,  115;  journal 

of,  quoted,  i2v\   I2t, 
Penn,  William    2f   . 
Perry.  Prof.  A.  ' .  ,  quoted, 

i35»  140; 
Pfluger,  Lieut.,  160. 
Philadelphia,  1G2, 177,  214, 

-17,  225. 
Phillips,  General,  120,  124, 

154- 
Plunders  Neck,  198. 

Pointe  aux  Trembles. 

au  Deux  Terres. 

Porbeck,  H.  von,  237. 

Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  242. 

Poultney,  Vt.,  85,  88. 


Vlll 


Index. 


Prince    Frederick's    Reei- 

ment,  54. 
Providence,    a    transport, 

203. 
Prospect  Hill, near  Boston, 

153,  155,  166. 
Provost,  Gen.,  237,  23S. 
Putnam,  Gen.    Israel,   88, 

156,  222. 


Quaker   Hill,  battle  of, 

228,  256. 
Quebec,  13,  20,  38,  39,55, 

67;  siege  of,  258;  upper 

town  of,  258;   Historical 

Society  of,  109. 


Randall's  Island,  200. 
Rantzan,  Count,  123. 
Rattle-snakes,  soup  made 
from,  "^y,  stories  of,  219, 

R'r.krodt,  Lieut.,  109. 
Red-Bank,  ?'2. 
Reed,  Gen.  Geo.,  149. 
Reineking,    master    of 

ho'se,  109. 
Riedesc),  Maj.-Gen.,  21,35, 

:i,>].  51    66,  67,  70,  104, 

114.  )20,  154,  156,  163, 

176. 
Riedesel,  Madame,  21,  74, 

10^.,  167. 


Riedesel,  regiment  of,  54. 
Rhetz,  Gen,  von,  74. 
,  regiment  of,  40,  52, 

55,  99,  104,  176. 
Rhode-Island,  228. 
Richelieu  river  (Sorel  and 

St.  John's),  48. 
Recollects,  Convent  of,  46, 

67;  sketch  of,  256. 
Rodgers,  Mrs.   Almy  W., 

245- 
Rogers,     Gen.    Horatio, 

quoted,   52,  65,  69,  116, 

128,  168. 
R  o  s  e  n  g  a  r  t  e  n  ,  J.  G., 

quoted,  140,  218. 
Rouge,  Cape,  40. 
Rowson,  Mrs.,  201. 
Royal-Savage,     fla 


LP". 


•ship. 


53. 
Rutland,   Mass., 

Rutledge,    Gov. 

204. 


158,  176. 
George, 


St.    Anne,  66,  72,  82. 

river,  43,  44. 

John's  river,  51. 

Francis  river,  45. 

Lawrence    river,    13, 

40,  41,  44,48,  61,  76.  80, 

.94- 

St.    Maurice  river,  45. 

Leger,  Col.,  70,  104, 

1 1 1. 


Index. 


IX 


3, 


0, 

6, 


6. 


P, 


|4» 


St.    Luc,   de  la,  Corn,  69. 
Sacrament,  lake,  88, 


94-     .     , 
St.    Coick's  Mill,  100,  102. 

Pierre,  Lac,  46,  48. 

Sanford,   Hon.  John,  127. 

Sandy-Hook,     193,     231, 

235- 
Santo  Cap,  42,  56. 

Saratoga,  99,  iio;  battles 
of,  113,  120,  124.  132, 
179,  184. 

Saratoga,  Monument  As- 
sociation, sketch  of,  126. 

Saratoga,    description   of, 

124. 

Saltsburgers,  234. 

Saur,  Christopher,  221. 

,  Peter  204. 

Savannah  river,  234;  town 
of,  236. 

Scaghticoke,  135. 

Scammell,  Gen.  Alex., 
quoted,  247. 

Schlagenteufle,  Jr.,    109. 

Schmidt,  Dr.,  160. 

Schneider,  Ensign,  91. 

Schnieck,  Capt.  von,    109. 

Schonwald,  Count,  109. 

Schuyler,  Gen.  Philip,  in, 
126,  156. 

Schuyler,  Col.  Peter,   134. 

Schuylkill  river,  216. 

Seidensticker,  Prof.  C, 
qu'>ted,  218. 


Se-ymo'ir,    Hon.    Horatio, 

quoted,  126. 
Skene,  Lieut.-Gov.,  98. 
Skinner,     Thos.,    quoted. 

Skinner,  Battalion  of,  231. 
Sorel  river,  48. 
Spangenberg,  Lieut,  99. 
Specht,  Lieut-Col.,  55. 
color-bearer,  109. 


Springfield,  East,  146. 
West,  146. 


Starin,  Hon.  John  H.,  127. 
Staten    Island,    185,     188, 

230. 
Staunton,  Va.,  178,  180. 
Steuben,  Maj.-Gen.,  186. 
,  names   of  his  staff, 

246. 
Stillwater,  N.  Y.,  98,   112, 

134- 
Sterling,  Lord  Wm.  Alex., 

56,  96,  244. 
Stone,  Wm.   L.,  his  Hist. 

of    New   York  quoted, 

190. 
Stone,  Wm.    L.,   his   map 

of    Saratoga    Battle- 

grounds,  120. 
Streitzer,  Cornet,  109. 
Sullivan,  Gen.,  244,  247. 
Swords,  Thos.,  113. 
Sword's  House,  1 12. 
Sy  vester,  N.    B.,   quoted, 

134. 


Index. 


Temple,  Charlotte,  201. 
Tetes  de  Boule  Nation,  7 1 . 
Three  Rivers,  13,   -i^l^   45' 

55>  71.  82. 
Tielmann,  Commissioner, 

143- 
Tonnancour,  Col.,  37,   45. 

,  Demoiselle,  71. 

Trenton,  Battle  of,  132. 

Tuck'^r,  Lieut.  Thos.,  201. 

Tudor,  Judge   Adv.-Gen., 

162. 

Tulpehocken,  Pa.,  218. 

Turkey  Hill, battle  of,  228. 

Tyringham,  144. 


Unicorn,  frigate,  230. 
Unverza,  Lieut.,  57. 
Ursalme  Conv^ent,  j7,  46. 

Valley  Hills,  Pa.,  216. 
Van  Schaack,  a  Tory,  137. 
Volkner,  Thos.,  a  farmer, 
210. 

Waisser's  House,  120. 
Walker,  Major  Benjamin, 

sketch  of,  244. 
Walmarth  Regiment,  230. 
Walworth,  Mrs.  E.  H.,  -24. 
Ward's  Island,  200. 
Washington,  General,  167, 

243. 


Watertown,  153. 
Weira,  river,  209. 
Weisenfelds,    Gen.    Fred. 

H.,  sketch  of,  132. 
Weissenbach     Regiment, 

230. 
Wenzens,    a  sect,   sketch 

of,  223. 
Weser  river,  43. 
Westfield,  Mass.,  146. 
Westminster,  Vt.,  109. 
West  Point,  133. 
Westtown,  153. 
White    Plains,   battle    of, 

132. 
Whitplain  township,  223. 
Wickel,  a  preacher,  223. 
Wiesland,  ship,  41. 
Wilkinson,  Gen.,  121. 
Williams,  Major   Griffith, 

114,  116,  127. 
WillianiS, Colonel  George, 

last  survivor  of  battles 

of  Saratoga,  116,  121. 
Williamsburgh,  180. 
Winslow,  Gen.,  134. 
Winter  Hill,  near  Boston, 

153,  166,  173. 
Wolesworth,  a  farmer,  137. 
Worcester,  Mass.,  149. 
Wurtele,  Fred.  C,  257. 


Yungfernstetge,  a   fash- 
ionable promenade,  1 82. 


ERRATA. 


Pages   13.  41.     For  "Bee   Island,"  read  "  Bic   Is- 
land. 

Page  48.     For  "  Isle   au    Custus,"  read  "  Isle  au 
Castor. 

^^^age  71,  6th  line  from  bottom.     For  "  Fetes''  read 

Page  84,  last  line  of  note.     For  "New  Hampshire" 
read  "New  York."  ^ 

Page  94.  8th  line  from  top,  for  "any"  read  "every  " 
I  age  1 28,  note.     For  "  Gen.  I.  Watts  de  PeysteV" 
read  "J.  Watts  de  Peyster." 

Page  199,  5th  line  from  bottom.     For  "pear"  read 
"apple."  ^ 

Page  218,  1st  line  of  note.     Omit  "Jr."  after  "  T 
Cjt.  Rosengarten." 

Page  245,  note.     For  "  Rogers  "  read  "  Rodgers.  " 


